What We Do

Building Understanding for Inclusion of Learning Disabilities – Jan 2024

The Building Understanding for Inclusion of Learning Disabilities (BUILD) in Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) was launched by the Secretary of Higher Education, Shri Sanjay Murthy, on January 5, 2024. Conceptualized by the Department of Higher Education, Ministry of Education, the program aims to enhance the capacities of faculty and staff in HEIs to create an inclusive learning environment for students with SLDs. BUILD programme is structured into six phases, including orientation sessions, sensitization, masterclasses, in-person workshops, monitoring, and individual support for institutions. In collaboration with ChangeInkk Foundation, 41 institutions are receiving tailored support, and over 300 department heads have been sensitized in the first cycle of the programme, fostering an inclusive educational ecosystem.

People + AI, ChangeInkk & NCERT-CIET hackathon for building solutions to make e-content accessible – 28th-29th June 2024

The People + AI and ChangeInkk along with NCERT-CIET initiative organized a hackathon, bringing together innovators and technologists to develop solutions for making digital educational content accessible to individuals with disabilities. This collaborative event fostered the creation of AI-driven tools aimed at enhancing inclusivity in e-content. The winning ideas are now being prototyped for potential implementation across various educational platforms.

AICTE – Webinar on Inclusion of Students with SLDs in Higher Education – 31st May – 28th June, 2023

In close collaboration with AICTE, ChangeInkk Foundation conducted five sensitization and capacity-building webinars on 'Inclusion of Students with Learning Disabilities in Higher Education', meant for heads of higher education institutions across the country, from 31st May to 28th June 2023.Topics covered were - Understanding SLDs; Struggles and Strengths, Screening and Diagnosis, Regulatory and policy framework, The Dyslexic Edge, and Accelerating Innovation through Inclusion. The webinar encouraged participants to look through the Dyslexic lens through interactive activities, and culminated with actionable takeaways on how to make their institutions inclusive.

Sensitization sessions on SLDs with IIIT, Delhi - 3rd March, 2023 and 20th April, 2023

In collaboration with IIIT, Delhi, ChangeInkk Foundation conducted two awareness and sensitizations sessions to encourage inclusion of students with SLDs in higher education. The first session was held on 3rd March, 2023 for students. The second session was held on 20th April, 2023 and was attended by various stakeholders - the registrar, admissions department, IT department, communications department etc. The interactive session focused on a holistic understanding of SLDs, Indian law and policies as well as the role of the cohorts in focus in creating a culture of inclusion and accelerating innovation. The session culminated with a Q&A as well various ideas for specific, in-depth follow-up sessions.

College Readiness Program - February 3rd – 5th, 2023

The Office of Learning Support at Ashoka University organised the fourth edition of the College Readiness Program for high school students with disabilities, in collaboration with ChangeInkk Foundation. It was a three-part virtual learning series exclusively designed for high school students with specific learning and physical disabilities. This program equipped them with the necessary information and skills to gear up for higher education. The event had sessions packed with interactive exercises, workshops facilitated by eminent experts, lively panel discussions, and ample networking opportunities.

ACITE - Webinar for HoI's on "Inclusion of SLDs in Higher Education”, 7th September 2022

Our speakers for the last session were Dev Aditya and Suhana Bhutani. Dev Aditya co-founded Otermans Institute with Dr Pauldy Otermans which upskills underserved learners in 10+ countries. He was awarded by the UK Prime Minister in 2021 for his educational work. Suhana is a young 19 year old aspiring to be a doctor. She’s in her first year of college in Lady Hardinge medical college New Delhi and is a graduate of Step-by-Step World School. She has been a Dyslexia speaker at several events and conclaves inspiring students to pursue their dreams, come what may. The session covered self-advocacy as an important aspect of managing SLDs especially for students along with the need to tailor and mainstream learning apps according to the needs of individuals with SLDs.

ACITE - Webinar for HoI's on "Inclusion of SLDs in Higher Education”, 31st August 2022

Our speakers for the session were Kunal Jhunjhunwala and Aparajita Singh. Kunal Jhunjhunwala is the Founder and M D of Airpay Payment Services, and also the co-founder of Changeinkk and Digital Haathi. Aparajita is a design graduate turned social impact professional with 8 years of experience in socio-economic development, designing and deploying sustainable processes and systems which make significant systemic contributions to society and enable future generations. The session covered the importance of intervention at an early stage - providing individualized support catering to one's learning style helps maximize their potential. Awareness of all stakeholders was a key theme that emerged - accommodations and equity become possible when a collective understanding is in place.

ACITE - Webinar for HoI's on "Inclusion of SLDs in Higher Education”, 24th August 2022

Sanjay Krishnan, a student of TVS CPAT Polytechnic College was the speaker for this session. He joined a mechatronics course with a combination of robots and artificial intelligence and is currently pursuing the same. Our discussion with Sanjay suggested that managing an SLD is possible with the right kind of support to harness the Dyslexic edge. His message for students with SLDs highlighted acceptance and coping as a way to pave your way forward.

ACITE - Webinar for HoI's on "Inclusion of SLDs in Higher Education”, 17th August 2022

Our speakers for the second session were Prof. C. B. Sharma and Mr. Vivek Khare. Prof. C. B> Sharma is a professor at the School of Education, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi. He also served as the Chairman of National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS). Mr. Vivek Khare passed out from IIT, Kanpur and started his career with FIITJEE. He is an active angel investor and has Zomato, Jaypore, Policy Bazaar, Cashify, and LetsVenture in his portfolio. The discussion touched upon education and the need to train and sensitize general teachers, working with the regulatory bodies. The session emphasized on the need to leverage assistive technologies to level the playing field.

ACITE - Webinar for HoI's on "Inclusion of SLDs in Higher Education”, 10Th August 2022

The speakers for the commencing session were Shilpa Rao and Arun Fernandez. Shilpa is an Intrapreneur who headed the AI powered strategic intelligence platform - Optumera. She has taken this platform from a concept to a new business line for TCS with 35+ patents and several awards. Arun is the founder of DLearners which is a solution that identifies SLD and conducts intervention programmes using assistive tech. Currently pursuing his PhD, he vouches that the challenges of Dyslexia can be overcome and that the condition can prove to be a boon. During the session we discussed their struggles with Dyslexia and the strategies that helped them cope and excel. Through parental support, technology and accommodations, they were both able to leverage their Dyslexic strengths. They alluded to screening, early intervention, support systems as a possible way forward to help build the SLD ecosystem.

Inclusion in Higher Education: Leadership Summit 2022 (in collaboration with Ashoka) – 5^thAug 2022

ChangeInkk partnered with Ashoka Univerisity for this Summit on Inclusion of Students with Disabilities in Higher Education, raised awareness on all aspects increasing enrollment. It featured keynote address by Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe and Dr. Pankaj Mittal. The panel discussions began with hearing from students with disabilities and their journeys, followed by a discussion with Dr. Sam Taraporewala and Prof. Gaurav Raheja on building disability support systems on university campuses. The third panel included Abhishek Singh, Gita Dang and Prof. Partha P. Das discussed the importance of technology and providing access through innovation and skilling. The session concluded with a talk by ChangeInkk's co-founder and trustee Ms. Noopur Jhunjhunwala covering Specific Learning Disabilities, advocating for their inclusion, drawing from global best practices.

Dyslexic Mind Conference - 28^thOct, 2021

Ashoka University, in collaboration with ChangeINKK Trust, hosted the first-ever conference on the inclusion of students with dyslexia in higher education institutions (HEIs). The conference included keynote addresses and panel discussions representatives from industry experts and representatives of leading universities in the United States, UK, and India. It also featured journeys of adults with dyslexia who have made significant contributions to their fields of work. Employers with neurodiversity inclusion initiatives discussed the importance of employing this future ready workforce.

AICTE Webinar on Dyslexia - 13th October 2021

All India Council for Technical Education, in October 2021 collaborated with experts and conducted a two-part webinar on Dyslexic awareness. The first webinar included eminent speakers such as  Prof. Anil Sahasrabudhe, Ms. Rama Tandon, Mr. Vivek Khare and ChangeInkk's co-founder and trustee, Ms. Noopur Jhunjhunwala. The discussion covered the manifestation, struggles and strengths of Dyslexia in detail. The panel also discussed successful possibilities across school education, higher education as well as career paths for people with Specific Learning Disabilities