Disability didn’t stop this TN woman from supporting other differently-abled

In 2009, Swarnalatha was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) which rudely interrupted her soaring corporate career. She learned to cope with the intense pain and immobility caused by MS and reinvented herself to take on the world. MS is a debilitating disease where the causes are still being researched. As Swarnalatha started to cope with MS and accompanying issues, she also realised that she could fight back. The significant losses on the personal and professional sides led to a discovery that she could still do a lot of things and make a difference in others’ lives. Along with her husband Guruprasad, Swarnalatha J started a charitable trust named Swarga Foundation.

“Through this, we wanted to improve the lives of individuals with MS and other neuromuscular disorders by increasing awareness among the public and thereby transforming the general attitude in society towards differentlyabled individuals. This transformation will increase empathy and improve access to opportunities that are currently inaccessible due to lack of infrastructure and misinterpretations of disabilities among the general public,” says Swarnalatha, who is based out of Coimbatore.

One day, Swarnalatha wanted to attend an urgent meeting and she had to depend on a private cab service. But the driver didn’t allow her wheelchair inside the car. She was shocked by the rude behaviour of the driver. “After this incident, we did research and found that differently-abled hardly travel because there are no comfortable and convenient travel facilities for them. The question, what can be done for differently-abled people to travel, lingered in my mind.

That’s how we set up Tamil Nadu’s first wheelchair accessible transportation service called Sarathi. It provides a safe, convenient and reliable commute for any individual with a mobility impairment or senior citizens to any location of choice within and outside the city,” she explains.

The husband-wife duo has also started Sowkhya Physiotherapy and Wellness Centre that offers services free of cost to people with and without disabilities. Swarnalatha, who was recently awarded CavinKare Ability Award for Eminence, was also instrumental in creating accessible toilets in every platform of Coimbatore Junction railway station and 10 government schools. “We have made these schools wheelchair-friendly by providing ramps to the classroom. After this initiative, many students have come back to school. Not just for students but teachers who are wheel-chair bound and have mobility issues are benefitted from this. Our future plan is to create a comprehensive rehabilitation centre for people diagnosed with MS,” sums up Swarnalatha.