Age: 40 years
Location: Coimbatore, India
Medical condition: Primary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis
Her story: In 2009, Swarnalatha suffered from Multiple Sclerosis which left her wheelchair-bound. However, this indomitable woman refused to let sexual abuse, patriarchy or multiple sclerosis defeat her. She, along with her husband, went to establish 'Swarga Foundation' which works to improve accessibility for the differently-abled.
Her struggle: The responsibility of supporting her family fell on her young shoulders at the age of 18, following her father’s death. In the 2nd year of college, she was sexually abused by her uncle, which left her physically and mentally broken. Her family blamed her and it took every bit of her strength to overcome the trauma she experienced. Life seemed to have looked up for her after marrying Guru. However, a couple years after they had their first child she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis which left her wheelchair-bound. She was asked to resign. The situation worsened when Guru was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Her first step towards making a difference: In the time after their daughter’s birth, her health worsened again. The time in the hospital was a period of transformation for her where she decided to put her privilege of education and work experience for the benefit of others. In 2014, Swarnalatha and Guru started 'Swarga Foundation' which aimed to work for individuals with neuromuscular disorders by increasing awareness and improving accessibility for the differently-abled.
Her contribution to the society: 'Swarga Foundation' renovated 3 wheelchair-accessible toilets across 6 platforms of the Coimbatore railway station. They modified a regular toilet at a platform lounge into a unisex wheelchair-accessible toilet. They made 8 government schools in the city disabled-friendly, which managed to bring differently-abled students and teachers back to campus. In 2017 they started ‘Sarathi’ project-Tamil Nadu’s first wheelchair accessible transportation service. They also provide free physiotherapy sessions in their NGO by the name of 'Sowkhya' which has benefitted 2000 people so far. She is also a motivational speaker.