Dr. Jitender Aggarwal

A blue gradient background with navy text has “The D-30 Disability Impact List” at the top centered above “2023 Honoree” which is in between two laurels. The words “Dr. Jitender Aggarwal, India” are to the left of a picture of Jitender, which fills the right. Jitender is a South Asian man wearing a suit and tie and glasses. He is standing at a podium with a microphone. At the bottom, “Diversability, #D30DisList.” fills the left corner.

Dr. Jitender Aggarwal (He/him/his)

Disability Advocate

India

Dr. Jitender Aggarwal is a dentist who, in 2004, lost his vision suddenly. He struggled to sustain and understand the challenges of persons with disabilities. Dr. Aggarwal founded Sarthak Educational Trust in 2008, with an aim to support persons with disabilities with a “life cycle” approach of Early Intervention, Inclusive Education, Skilling, and Employment. 

So far, through this life cycle approach, Sarthak has rehabilitated 3700+ children with Disabilities (0-6 years),  mainstreamed 425 children with Disabilities in regular schools, trained 47000+ persons with Disabilities, and employed 35000+ through 200+ hiring partners. Sarthak has expanded to 25 centers to impact the lives of 1 million persons with Disabilities, and is a top NGO (Non-Governmental  Organization) in the disability sector. 

In the past year, Dr. Aggarwal and Sarthak have been involved in several projects, including the India Disability Empowerment Alliance (IDEA), which has collaborated with 600+ Disability NGOs from rural areas for joint initiatives; the digital platform Gyan Sarathi, which is an easy to use e-learning app that upskills disabled persons in rural areas; a Sarthak Global Resource Center to support rural NGOs, and global efforts including partnering with developing countries to replicate best practices, and expanding global presence with the establishment of a Sarthak chapter in the UK. 
Dr. Aggarwal is also secretary general of the National Abilympic Association of India (NAAI) and led the India team that won 7 medals at the 10th International Abilympics in France.