Krishna Gautam
Krishna Gautam (he/him/his)
Advocacy and Politics
Nepal
Krishna is one of the strongest advocates for the rights of persons with disabilities in Nepal. He became disabled with polio when he was 2, later starting the first DPO in West Nepal, representing PWDs on government bodies. After visiting Japan, he became a pioneer of the concept of Independent Living in Nepal, and with friends founded the Centre for Independent Living in Kathmandu in 2006. His leadership supports PWDs to lead an independent life with dignity, and publicly promotes the rights of PWDs.
Under Krishna’s steadfast leadership, the Centre for Independent Living continued its work throughout the Covid led lockdowns. He led a project to provide food and health related supplies in the lockdown to PWDs living in Kathmandu valley. He personally traveled to remote villages to inform and counsel PWDs. The center brought several PWDs to Kathmandu for training in the Independent Living concept, enabling persons who had been confined and dependent to discover their abilities and potential.