Welcoming new year at The Lalit, with the same familiar warmth | The first sun of 2026 brought with it a familiar and meaningful tradition: beginning the year with the notes of inclusion. Guests at The Lalit were treated to an inclusive brunch across four properties: Delhi, Udaipur, Chandigarh, and Kolkata. Soft musical performances by talented singers with disabilities, paired with a delicious brunch, were the highlight of the afternoon. In Kolkata, guests queued up for selfies with Shibani; in Udaipur, Ankita and Arjun had the audience grooving with joy. In Delhi, Ankur’s voice moved the audience to emotion, while in Chandigarh, guests couldn’t stop applauding Sagar and his band. And with that, we kickstarted the new year with a renewed spark of joy and hope. | When the Chairman of Nestle experienced Atypical Workshop | Nestlé chose to create experiences that truly stayed with people. Through six experiential learning booths, employees stepped into the everyday realities of disability. While the assistive technology booths, challenged blindfolded employees to identify the colour of different products, enabled by assistive pens and devices, another engaging booth offered them a chance to get their live caricatures sketched by our talented artist Sandeep Kumar Nayak and yet another demonstrated how can one play ludo inclusively. Manish Tiwary, Chairman & MD, Nestlé India, personally visited each stall, experienced the simulations, engaged with the tools, and even got a live caricature, sending out a clear message that inclusion is strongest when leaders show up. This followed a prior full-one day-immersion session for Nestlé’s women leaders, reinforcing that inclusion at Nestlé is not a one-off moment, but a continuous commitment. | Uno Minda kickstarts inclusion by sensitizing its HR Leaders | Uno Minda took a meaningful step forward on its inclusion journey by hosting its first-ever Disability Sensitization Session, marking the start of a larger series planned ahead. The session brought together HR leaders from across the Uno Minda Group, both in person and virtually. The discussion, led by Vineet, Founder, Atypical Advantage, focused on Uno Minda’s future roadmap for hiring persons with disabilities in the manufacturing sector, with insights drawn from real-life experiences. Leaders further engaged through an assistive technology booth set up in the cafeteria, offering a first-hand experience of tools used by persons with visual disabilities in their daily lives. Reflecting on the session, Gaurav Kumar, Head- Group CSR shared: “The session was insightful and very well received, helping build greater awareness and understanding. The assistive technology booth was extremely helpful and added great value to the overall engagement.” | Odisha Expands Banishree Aid for Students with Disabilities | The Odisha government has expanded its Banishree financial aid scheme to cover all students with disabilities across the state, regardless of its type. Previously limited in scope, the revamped programme will now provide inclusive educational support to students enrolled in government and private schools, helping them meet education-related expenses. This expansion is part of Odisha’s broader push for inclusive education and aims to benefit thousands more students with disabilities. (Source: TOI) | Delhi to Launch Disability Aid Portal | The Delhi government is set to open a new online portal next month to accept applications for a ₹6,000 monthly financial assistance scheme for persons with benchmark disabilities who have high support needs. The scheme, notified in October 2025, aims to help beneficiaries cover costs such as caregiver support, medical and therapeutic services, assistive devices, and counselling. Eligibility will be decided through a structured medical assessment and scoring system, and the aid will be disbursed directly via bank transfer. (Source: Hindustan Times) | Atypical Advantage is India’s largest livelihood platform for Persons with Disabilities(PWD). Whether it is a singer looking for a show, a visual artist looking to sell their paintings, or job seekers with disabilities looking for career opportunities, it bridges the supply & demand side inefficiencies so that Persons with Disabilities can earn a dignified income. We have a large pool of 50,000+ talents with disabilities and have worked with 500+ corporates within a short span of 5 years. We were also featured on Shark Tank Season 2 and were declared the winner of the prestigious National Startup Award for Social Impact, and the National Award for Best Organization empowering persons with disabilities in 2024, conferred by the Union Government. For more information, visit our website here. | |
