Sandhya Dhar (born 1980) is an Indian disability rights activist. She was diagnosed with

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensa ...

at an early age and is a wheelchair user. She founded the Jammu Institute of General Education and Rehabilitation (JIGER) in 2015 to support disabled people and was awarded the 2020 Nari Shakti Puraskar.

Career

Sandhya Dhar was born in early 1980 in

Srinagar Srinagar (English: , ) is the largest city and the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It lies in the Kashmir Valley on the banks of the Jhelum River, a tributary of the Indus, and Dal and Anchar lakes. The city is known for its natu ...

, summer capital of

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Kashmir, the northernmost geographical region of the Indian subcontinent * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered ...

. At a few months old she had a fever which led to paralysis and she was diagnosed to have

. Her parents prioritised her care and she was sent to the

Deendayal Upadhyaya Institute for the Physically Handicapped Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya National Institute for Persons with Physical Disabilities (Divyangjan) (P.D.U.N.I.P.P.D.) is an autonomous organisation under the administrative and financial control of Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, govern ...

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House ...

for two years. At five, she went to the local school and then her family moved to

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi Ri ...

, where the care facilities were better. She attended the Adarsh Shiksha Niketan school and then the M. Dass school. She continued her education at the Government Degree College Parade Ground Jammu, studying for a Bachelor of Commerce, Master of Commerce, a

Diploma in Computer Science The Diploma in Computer Science is a diploma offered by several post-secondary institutions: * Cambridge Diploma in Computer Science – this University of Cambridge course was the world's first computer science course, first offered in 1953 Unive ...

and

Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...

(MBA). She then worked in the finance department of the

Government of Jammu and Kashmir The Government of Jammu and Kashmir is the governing authority of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir and its two divisions and 20 districts. Jammu and Kashmir is a union territory in India under the terms of Article 239A (wh ...

. Dhar plays boccia and in 2022, she won a bronze medal at the Boccia National Championship. Dhar is a wheelchair user. She became a disability rights activist and founded the Jammu Institute of General Education and Rehabilitation (JIGER) in 2015. It supports disabled people and offers lessons taught by disabled teachers. In 2022, it supported over 400 disabled children. In 2022, she received the 2020 Nari Shakti Puraskar from President

Ram Nath Kovind Ram Nath Kovind (; born 1 October 1945) is an Indian politician who served as the 14th President of India from 2017 to 2022. He is a member of the Bharatiya Janata Party. He is the second person after K. R. Narayanan, from the Dalit community ...

Manoj Sinha Manoj Sinha (born 1 July 1959) is an Indian politician serving as the 2nd and the current Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir. He served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Communications and Minister of State for Railway ...

, the

Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir The Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir is the head of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The office of lieutenant governor was established after an Act was passed in August 2019 in the Parliament of India, reorganising t ...

, said in 2022 that Dhar, alongside Nasira Akhtar and Nasheeman Ashraf, was an inspiration for women in the region.

Selected works

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dhar, Sandhya 1980 births Indian disability rights activists Indian disabled sportspeople People from Srinagar People from Jammu (city) Nari Shakti Puraskar winners Boccia players Living people Indian activists with disabilities