Prateek Khandelwal’s life took a significant flip in 2014 when he fell from an under-construction constructing. The accident left the IT engineer paralyzed from the waist under and in a wheelchair.
On the time, Prateek was an brisk younger skilled with a profitable profession and an lively social life, very similar to many others of their mid-20s. As we speak, he runs RampMyCity in Bengaluru, a startup that works to enhance accessibility for individuals with disabilities and the aged in India.
As he tailored to his new actuality again then, he knew that he wasn’t going to let his wheelchair cease him from residing totally. Though public attitudes in the direction of him modified, with some pals providing him sympathy whereas others changing into distant, he dedicated himself to strenuous bodily remedy throughout the first 4 years after the accident.
Confronted with issues comparable to bladder points and muscle atrophy from his spinal twine damage, Prateek selected to give attention to his progress over dwelling on the challenges.
4 years of bodily coaching helped Prateek make vital progress, however he confronted a brand new drawback: he couldn’t exit to eat at his favorite eating places or every other locations he loved earlier than. This led him to create his startup as he understood simply how essential ramps have been in breaking obstacles and accessing the world exterior.
Based in 2020, RampMyCity goals to offer full infrastructure options for each private and non-private sectors. This contains ramps, accessibility audits, retrofitting, and extra. Thus far, Prateek has helped set up over 530 ramps in cities like Bengaluru, Goa, Gurgaon, and Mumbai.
‘Why ought to I cease residing my life when my thoughts and spirit are free?’
Prateek’s brother Nirbhik recollects that in his therapy, his probabilities of survival have been slim. Nonetheless, Prateek vowed to his physician, “I’m going to come back to you after two years and present you that my life doesn’t finish right here.”
This promise was the start of Prateek’s journey to restoration. Initially, he noticed his pals drifting away and a severe relationship coming to an finish. “We noticed his social life disappear and his state of affairs worsen,” shares Nirbhik.
However, coaching beneath his physiotherapist for 8-10 hours a day, Prateek rigorously monitored how his bladder and abdomen reacted to each chew of meals and sip of liquid. “Restoration concerned a number of trial and error. Over time, I discovered that enchancment comes slowly, however persistence is essential,” he shares.
By 2017, he might stand with a walker and carry out duties like cooking, and even use crutches. It was then that he puzzled, “Why ought to I cease residing my life when my thoughts and spirit are free regardless of my challenges? I’m bold, a big-time foodie, and love assembly my pals. Why ought to a wheelchair put an finish to it?”
Decided to not let his wheelchair restrict him, he started reaching out to his pals after 4 years of isolation. “Although they have been initially uncertain, they ultimately realised I used to be nonetheless the identical particular person and invited me again into their social circles,” he says.
However the household struggled to seek out accessible places for Prateek, in order that they took it upon themselves to put in ramps. This manner, he might be part of them of their outings to eating places and theatres. “The purpose wasn’t to start out a giant enterprise however to enhance accessibility for individuals like Prateek, serving to them get pleasure from a life much like anybody else,” says Nirbhik, including that having the ability to exit for weekends and date nights boosted Prateek’s confidence.
“Giving him a standard life was the most important success for us,” he remarks.
In his effort to reconnect with the neighborhood, Prateek confronted a harsh actuality: the dearth of accessibility in India. Regardless of residing in a prestigious constructing, he found that neither the constructing itself nor public areas like banks, eating places, metro or police stations, theatres have been accessible to him.
“This realisation hit me onerous, making me really feel as if I have been in a everlasting lockdown,” he says.
Many individuals with disabilities are compelled to remain indoors due to such infrastructural obstacles. The World Financial institution reviews that about 15% of the worldwide inhabitants has some type of incapacity. Given India’s inhabitants of over 1.4 billion, this interprets to roughly 21 crore individuals with disabilities.
This raises the query: The place are these people?
The disabled neighborhood is among the largest and most marginalised teams, usually unseen and confined to their properties. An vital query to contemplate then is what the federal government is doing about accessibility. The Rights of Individuals with Disabilities (RPwD) Act of 2016 mandates equal entry and common design requirements, however enforcement is commonly insufficient within the nation.
“Authorities initiatives usually characteristic substandard accessibility options, with ramps that don’t meet essential requirements. There’s a notable lack of motion from startups, NGOs, and wheelchair advocates as nicely,” Prateek remarks. To fill this hole, he created RampMyCity.
“RampMyCity wasn’t created simply from my concepts alone,” Prateek says. “It grew out of my real-life experiences. We go to every location to determine the ramp necessities after which devise an answer that works with out disrupting the present setup. Our strategy is all the time sensible and begins from the underside up.”
The initiative started with a marketing campaign to influence eating places to put in ramps, aiming to vary the view of accessibility from a charity challenge to a well-liked trigger. Its first product was a easy, attention-grabbing ramp designed to make accessibility extra seen and mainstream and market it in widespread places.
A key problem for Prateek was the ignorance in regards to the want for ramps, making it powerful to draw sponsors. “Being convincing is essential when the necessity isn’t clear to others,” he displays.
“Ramps don’t want any cement or brickwork. We determined to fabricate metal and aluminium ramps in our workshop, which might be rapidly put in at any location with no downtime,” he shares. This makes it a easy and environment friendly resolution.
Initially, RampMyCity centered on eateries as a result of they appeal to lots of people. Between 2018 and 2020, it had arrange ramps at 60 places. “As our work turned extra seen, we started receiving requests from different sectors like banks, faculties, and hospitals,” says Prateek, including that although COVID-19 slowed issues down a bit, the staff of 9 continued to make progress and put in over 70 ramps at main healthcare centres in Bengaluru.
Making Bengaluru certainly one of India’s most wheelchair-friendly cities
In Bengaluru, the startup has ramped Church Avenue, over 100 eating places, 50+ police stations, malls, and ATMs, making it one of the wheelchair-friendly cities in India.
“Though our staff is small, we’re continually working within the discipline. Putting in a ramp isn’t so simple as it sounds; it requires a number of rounds of audits and surveys because of the metropolis’s unorganised progress,” he reveals.
Whereas legal guidelines have outlined ramp requirements, the prevailing infrastructure usually doesn’t meet these requirements on account of area constraints and obstacles like parking and drainage. “We first conduct a technical audit to find out one of the best kind of ramp for every location, making certain that each ramp is customised to suit the location’s wants,” Prateek states.
Based on Ipsita Sarkar, who has recognized Prateek since faculty and has labored with RampMyCity since 2018, the important thing to the organisation’s success is Prateek’s drive to encourage himself and people round him. She describes how they began by inviting wheelchair customers to occasions to assist them escape of their shells.
The turning level for Prateek got here in 2022 when Lok Sabha MP Tejasvi Surya took discover of his work and requested him to put in ramps at 10 distinguished authorities buildings in Bengaluru. The startup efficiently put in ramps in a park, a hospital, and at different websites.
“With Dunzo sponsoring the initiative, they added 10 ramps in simply 20 days. That second marked a brand new chapter for us and gave us the visibility we wanted,” Prateek says.
As we speak, RampMyCity has expanded to numerous cities, together with Delhi, Cyber Hub, Galleria Market in Goa, and widespread markets in Mumbai. Presently, it’s engaged on ramping up police stations and eateries in Mumbai.
RampMyCity handles all the things – from ramps and railings to furnishings and loo equipment, elevators, wheelchairs, and emergency evacuation options. For example, the staff offers particular wheelchairs that may navigate stairs throughout emergencies when elevators can’t be used.
It sources these merchandise from throughout India, each domestically and centrally, to fulfill numerous wants. Via this, it has reinvigorated the trade, growing provide and opening the market to new gamers centered on incapacity options.
“We’ve been requested by quite a few organisations to create end-to-end accessibility options for his or her workplaces, which embody all the things from accessible parking and entry routes to doorways and charging factors. We additionally handle how workspaces, card-punch areas, washrooms, and canteens are all designed to be inclusive and user-friendly,” he notes.
“Everybody talks about how India shall be developed by 2047, however we should do not forget that true improvement begins with accessibility,” Prateek shares, whereas remarking that nations like Singapore and people in Europe are thought of developed as a result of they’re accessible. “For India to succeed in that degree, accessibility should come first. That is the imaginative and prescient we try for.”
Tapping into the company market
“The fact is that many individuals have restricted budgets for accessibility options,” states Prateek. Cafes may solely spend just a few thousand on ramps, however correct ramps with the correct size and gradient value extra.
This was the problem for Prateek and his staff as a result of individuals needed ramps however weren’t prepared to pay for high quality. “We wanted to discover a method to scale up rapidly, aiming for 1000’s of ramps per yr, not simply dozens. Even massive companies with substantial revenues usually don’t funds for true accessibility. We noticed a chance in CSR and philanthropic funding to assist us develop and meet our targets,” Prateek says.
In complete, 70% of the overall Company Social Accountability (CSR) spending from 2018 via 2021 went to schooling, healthcare, rural improvement, environmental sustainability, and poverty, in keeping with a Bain & Firm report. RampMyCity approached these companies, proposing they spend money on public accessibility initiatives.
“We supplied to handle installations in public locations, hospitals, and police stations, with the federal government offering the mandatory permissions. This mannequin has helped RampMyCity scale quickly, shares Prateek, including that the startup is at present working to faucet into this huge pool of CSR cash to enhance public infrastructure.
When requested how he stayed motivated throughout the early days of his startup whereas adjusting to life in a wheelchair and an unclear path forward, Prateek says it was all about taking child steps. “If you find yourself constant in working in the direction of your targets, there’ll all the time be a approach ahead,” he shares, quoting his private mantra: Kismat ke bharose mat baithiye; kismat khud aapke bharose baithi hai (Don’t look ahead to luck/kismet; it’s ready so that you can make a transfer).
“My damage compelled me to face myself. I might both turn out to be my biggest ally or my largest enemy,” he shares. Years after the accident, when Prateek reviewed his life, his previous achievements, and took word of the go-getting angle he had all the time had, he was capable of piece collectively his id. This led to a renewed give attention to his targets.
For these dealing with related struggles, his recommendation is to belief the method. “Over time, you will notice how the larger plan was made for you.”
He additional provides, “I’ve by no means regretted my damage or my life in a wheelchair. As an alternative, I see it as an incredible alternative that I wouldn’t have had in any other case. It’s allowed me to see how many individuals with disabilities can reside full, regular lives; journey, work, and be a part of society.”
Edited by Padmashree Pande; Footage Courtesy: Prateek Khandelwal
Sources:
https://www.bain.com/globalassets/noindex/2022/bain_report_india_philanthropy_report-2022.pdf. Bain & Firm India Philanthrophy Report 2022
https://www.worldbank.org/en/subject/incapacity#:~:textual content=Onepercent20billionpercent20peoplepercent2Cpercent20orpercent2015,experiencepercent20somepercent20formpercent20ofpercent20disability. Incapacity Inclusion – World Financial institution
https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/15939/1/the_rights_of_persons_with_disabilities_actpercent2C_2016.pdf. The Rights Of Individuals With Disabilities Act, 2016
