Children with disabilities ask for sign language as an official language of India and beyond: 3 December, 2025.

(Swarnalakshmi Ravi, Global Program Coordinator)

As the world commemorates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities today, the call for dignity, justice, and authentic inclusion rings with renewed power. The global reminder resounds across movements: “Disability is not a tragedy, exclusion is.” Few individuals embody this truth more compellingly than Ms. Swarnalakshmi Ravi, a woman with disability whose leadership carries a force that transcends physical sight. Living with complete visual impairment, she leads with a clarity of purpose that outshines every barrier the world imagines. Her presence is not merely inspiring, it is transformative. She stands as living evidence that disability does not diminish leadership; it reveals new dimensions of courage, vision, and authority.

This truth was witnessed earlier this month, from 14th to 20th November, when Swarnalakshmi, serving as the Global Program Coordinator of PRATYeK, designed and led one of India’s most groundbreaking child-led global governance events: the INclusive United Nations (IN-U.N.). Though the IN-U.N. did not take place today, its impact reverberates powerfully on this Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Two unforgettable moments stood out as the crowning highlights of the event: the unveiling of the Inclusive Development Goals by children with varied abilities and identities, and the deeply moving appeal by children with hearing disabilities, calling for Sign Language to be recognized as an official and global language, echoing their voices for inclusion and equality across the world.

The children with varied abilities and identities released the first draft report for the Global Goals Beyond 2030, marking the first time children if not people anywhere in the world have initiated a formal post 2030 Global Goals framework before the UN. Young kidizens (child-citizens) from across India took part in the stage release, representing not only geographic diversity but the full spectrum of varied abilities, lived experiences and identities. The moment embodied genuine, tangible inclusion, showing that real inclusion is more than accommodating physical disabilities, it is ensuring that every child with different needs, experiences, and identities is fully seen, heard, and valued.

From a child with physical disability in Rajasthan, to LGBTQIA youth in Mumbai, to marginalized voices representing the East and North-East from Arunachal Pradesh, and participation of children from Andaman and Kashmir representing participants spanning the South to the North, the event marked both true inclusion and the richness of India’s diversity.

The children asserted that the next era of global progress must be defined not by sustainability alone, but by true inclusion, of people, of the Earth, and of every member of the earth community while treating each with dignity. They insisted that the new goals be called the Inclusive Development Goals (INDGs), boldly stating that sustainability means nothing if any member of the larger earth community is excluded and does not experience the empowering effect of evolution which could range from reducing to increasing one’s carbon footprint so that all evolve to each one’s best version of their ultimate potential.

As they released the first draft of the IN.D.Gs, they acknowledged that while the age of the SDGs is slowly edging to completion, a new chapter under the banner of genuine inclusion, deep connection and tangible rights must begin. The young kidizens invited people and children everywhere to send their feedback (on 9990999640), urging the world to help shape this historic shift toward an era where everyone and everything is seen, valued, and included.

A deeply emotional moment followed as children with hearing disabilities led an Appeal, with real-time interpretation. They passionately called for the inclusion of Sign Language as an official language of India and that it be made a mandatory language taught and ‘spoken’ in all schools. This powerful appeal underscored that true inclusion means recognizing and empowering all forms of communication, ensuring that children with hearing disabilities are not just seen, but fully heard and valued in every sphere of learning and life.

One of the most powerful illustrations of real inclusion of persons with disabilities came through Shantha, a student from Good Shepherd Matriculation School, living with an intellectual disability. She attended the IN-U.N. in person, supported by her school and the Sri Arunodayam Charitable Trust. Shantha is not only a child with learning disabilities—she is also a Bharatanatyam dancer and national-level athlete, proving that talent, ability, and excellence thrive far beyond labels. Her friend Mahizh Arasi accompanied her and helped articulate her experiences, demonstrating peer-led inclusion in action.

Like Shantha, children from across states such as Kerala and Tripura who live with intellectual disabilities also took part in this event, transforming the IN-U.N. into a rare national space where children with varied abilities were not sidelined but fully included in shaping India’s most ambitious child-led governance platform. The presence of these children on this national platform affirmed that learning disabilities are not limitations, they are part of the diversity that strengthens true inclusion.

With this foundation of deep inclusion established, the event moved into its defining leadership moment.

In an unprecedented act of leadership, Swarnalakshmi steered the children to unveil the world’s first draft of the Global Goals beyond 2030, before even the United Nations itself. One of the significant moments arose when she unfurled the banner of the Inclusive Development Goals (INDGs). The fact that the country’s first child-led post-2030 global goals platform was architected and guided by a woman with disability stands as a bold reminder: when inclusion is real, leadership flourishes, histories shift, and the world expands its understanding of what is truly possible.

This extraordinary milestone unfolded in the presence of Ms Cynthia McCaffrey, UNICEF Representative to India, accompanied by senior leaders from UNICEF’s Communication, Advocacy and Partnerships division. The Ambassador from the Embassy of Palestine also attended, underscoring the international resonance of this bold inclusive child-led initiative.

Modelling a new era of inclusive child-led local to global governance, the IN-U.N. stands as the first platform in the world where child-citizens of different ‘vari-abilities’, including those from marginalised, vulnerable and challenged situations along with their peers from privileged backgrounds, used real UN mechanisms such as UPR, CRC, COP, VNRs, and parliamentary processes. Far removed from traditional MUN simulations, this IN-U.N. was rights-based, multilingual, inclusive, and born from children’s lived experiences.

This year’s event reached a national scale, bringing together children from almost 28 States and Union Territories, from Arunachal Pradesh to Maharashtra and Kashmir to Andaman & Nicobar Islands, creating one of the most diverse and inclusive child-led gatherings in India. More than 3000 children nationwide contributed (online and on-site) to broader IN-U.N. activities, shaping recommendations grounded in reality, urgency, and hope.

About PRATYeKPRATYeK’s vision is “Every Child, For Every Right, For Everyone.”The organisation was founded by Mr. Steve Rocha, who now serves as PRATYeK’s Vision and Identity Leader.Since 2013, PRATYeK has built pioneering child-led advocacy platforms that enable children to engage with governance structures, assert their rights, and create a just, participatory, and sustainable earth community.The IN-U.N. is its flagship global innovation, redefining what child participation can and should look like.

For Media QueriesSwarnalakshmiGlobal Program Coordinator, PRATYeK📞 +91-7598271999 / +91-9342636814📧 global@pratyek.org.in