HYDERABAD: 33-year-old Vasundhara Koppula was born in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh to a single mother who had to take care of five family members. From an early age, she faced immense challenges due to polio, which affected 80% of her body, bones, and nervous system. “My mother did not receive proper education so did not know how to take care of me. She was 20 years old at the time and my father had abandoned us. It was too late by the time doctors identified my condition. I was completely dependent on others for food and to access the washroom. During school hours, I had to hold my pee for eight hours because there was no one to help me. However, my family, friends and teachers always encouraged me, eventually helping me develop into a confident person,” said Vasundhara.
Having finished her post-graduation in journalism, she started working in Telugu news channels as a content writer and producer in Hyderabad. She faced similar difficulties at the workplace but the mindsets of the people were bigger problems to grapple with. “When a sportsperson wins a medal, they are welcomed with great pomp and show. But no one even knows about paralympics or cricket for the blind or partially sighted. People with disabilities do not receive the same recognition as others in the mainstream society,” she said.
However, she soon realised that it is due to the lack of awareness about the requirements of PwDs that people fail to support. To combat that problem, she founded Weave Media in 2014, a platform that organises events and provides visibility to disabled individuals, challenging societal perceptions. “Usually when I go to officials, they think I want to ask for donations.
All I want is empathy, not sympathy. Through CSR events, people want to distribute groceries to 100 people or clothes to 200 people, e-tricycle, wheelchairs, etc. But when I seek empathy and empowerment, nobody shows up,” Koppula said.
“I then decided to organise a beauty pageant for people with disability. Such events bring disabled individuals to centre stage. When you walk the ramp, you walk with pride. It brings confidence and develops body language. I provided them with a platform to showcase their abilities,” she said.
Recognising the need for broader change, she is now working on establishing an incubation centre for PwDs. Called DE-Hub, short for ‘Different Entrepreneurs Hub,’ it aims to materialise some dormant entrepreneurship ideas within the community. She is also participating in a leadership training program by Kanthari, an international organisation. Her vision includes providing training, co-working spaces, and resources for disabled individuals to become entrepreneurs, addressing the unique challenges they face. Despite initial hurdles, she remains determined to make a difference and is seeking support to bring her vision to life.
After the end of her training with the organisation this month, she will be participating in an inspiring event titled ‘Kanthari Talks,’ where she will be highlighting her company’s way forward in concretising the dreams of people from the community.
“I was inspired by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam when I got a chance to meet him in 2008. His way of talking motivated me to stand up for myself and be proud of who I am. It has also been a childhood dream of mine to become an anchor. In ‘Kanthari Talks,’ I will talk about issues and problems I faced in my life and what I am providing as solutions for disability entrepreneurship. Talks will be live-streamed on YouTube on December 15. One can register for free by December 10,” she concluded.