Amit Bawany

Indian disability rights advocate who created India's first accessible public transport system

Amit Bawany (b.1975) pioneered disability inclusion in Indian urban infrastructure through his work with the Wheelways Foundation, established in 1997. A wheelchair user himself since childhood polio, Bawany led the design of Mumbai's first fully accessible public transport network completed in 2002. His innovations included tactile paving systems, ramped bus stops, and audio navigation systems for visually impaired commuters, which became the model for India's 2005 National Urban Transport Policy.

Bawany's advocacy extended to digital accessibility, developing the AccessMap platform that crowdsources accessibility data for public spaces. By 2010, his efforts had transformed 12 major Indian cities with over 500 accessible transit hubs. His 2008 book "Beyond Barriers" became required reading in urban planning courses worldwide. A BBC documentary 'The Wheels of Change' (2011) highlighted his work, which inspired similar initiatives in Bangladesh and Pakistan.