Team Goemkarponn
PANAJI: A media sensitisation workshop on inclusive and intersectional reporting on disability was held on Monday as a pre-event to the International Purple Fest 2025, Goa, bringing together 50 journalists, editors, and communication professionals.
Organised by Rising Flame in collaboration with the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Government of India), the Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Goa, UN in India, and UN Women, the workshop focused on improving disability representation in newsrooms and public narratives.
Speaking at the event, Shri Subhash Phal Dessai, Minister for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Social Welfare, Drinking Water, River and Navigation, said, “The International Purple Fest is more than an event – it’s a movement to bring visibility, dignity, and pride to the lives of persons with disabilities. We urge the media to join this global movement and embrace diversity and inclusion.”
Shri Taha Haaziq, Secretary, Office of the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, highlighted the four-day festival’s activities, including Purple Think Tank, Purple Conventions, and Purple Experience Zones, emphasizing the importance of creativity, talent, and fun for persons with disabilities.
The workshop included sessions on disability-inclusive and intersectional media representation, led by Rising Flame, and discussions on reporting gender and disability, facilitated by UN Women India. Senior journalists stressed moving beyond the typical binaries of “inspirational” or “pity” narratives and focusing on human-centered, nuanced stories that amplify the voices of persons with disabilities.
Nidhi Goyal, Founder and Executive Director of Rising Flame, said, “Media often paints people with disabilities either as heroes or objects of pity. We need to go beyond both and ensure disability is reported with accuracy, dignity, and a rights-based lens.”
The event also featured a panel moderated by Sudeshna Mukherjee, Head of Communications, UN Women India, with panellists including Uzmi Athar (PTI), Parvinder Singh (World Food Programme, India), Pooja Pande (Chambal Media), and Bhanupriya Rao (BehanBox), who shared insights on reporting disability as a central issue rather than a peripheral beat.
