People with disabilities face many challenges and barriers in their daily lives, such as discrimination, stigma, and exclusion. These can affect their self-esteem, well-being, and opportunities for education, employment, and social participation. Therefore, it is essential to raise awareness and promote positive attitudes and practices towards people with disabilities, especially among young people who are society’s future leaders and influencers.

We targeted five Tirunelveli and Tenkasi District colleges in Tamil Nadu, India. The program consisted of three sessions, each lasting for two hours, and covered topics such as disability rights, types and causes of disabilities, accessibility and inclusion, and disability etiquette. To understand if this program had an impact, we asked the students to complete a demographic questionnaire and a pre-KAP (Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices) questionnaire, and after the last session, we asked them to complete a post-KAP questionnaire.

This is a formal study with the University of Toronto. The education and data collection has just wrapped up and we are very excited to share the results in the coming months. Stay tuned for more details when the analysis is complete.