Vaishali Kannan

A blue gradient background with white text has “The D-30 Disability Impact List” at the top centered above “2024 Honoree” which is in between two laurels. Below, text “Vaishali Kannan (she/her), India” is to the left of a picture of Vaishali, which fills the right. Vaishali is a medium-skinned woman with short dark hair. They are wearing a colorful pink/orange top and orange glasses. At the bottom left corner is text “Diversability, #D30DisList”.

Vaishali Kannan

She/her/hers

Disability Advocate

India

A passionate advocate for neurodiversity, Vaishali Kannan is dedicated to creating a more inclusive and accessible world for those with disabilities. As an author, speaker, and consultant, she works tirelessly to raise awareness and promote understanding of dyslexia and other neurodivergent conditions. Over the past year, she has made significant strides in her mission. She participated as a guest speaker at the Purple Fest in Goa to discuss neurodiversity. She also contributed to research on user accessibility for Slack, helping to make the app more friendly for dyslexic individuals. Her book "Homeless," which addresses adult dyslexia and her experiences as a queer individual, was shortlisted for the Best Debut in Nonfiction category of the Rainbow Awards 2023 and was hailed as India's first lesbian memoir by The Times of India.