Recipients of the CavinKare Ability Awards at the event held in Chennai on Saturday.
| Photo Credit: Akhila Easwaran

Six persons with disabilities from across the country were honoured at the 23^rd CavinKare Ability Awards 2025 in collaboration with the Ability Foundation on Saturday in Chennai.

C.K. Ranganathan, chairman and managing director, CavinKare Private Limited, said: “The awards stand as a testament to their resilience, talent, and indomitable spirit.”

The Special Recognition Award went to Sarah Sunny from Bengaluru, who is India’s first deaf lawyer to argue before the Supreme Court. The Award for Eminence went to Poonam Shroti from Bhopal, who is a disability rights advocate. She was born with osteogenesis imperfecta. She founded the Uddip Social Welfare Society to empower individuals with disabilities, particularly in tier 2 cities.

The Mastery Awards were conferred on Mohammad Shams Aalam Shaikh from Gandhinagar, Miranda Tomkinson from Chennai, Jilumol Mariet Thomas from Thodupuzha, and Arshad Pandit from Srinagar. Mr. Shaikh is a paraplegic Indian Para Swimmer. Mr. Tomkinson is a lecturer in the Department of Special Education at the National Institute for Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities and is the first deafblind individual in India to complete a major in special education.

Ms. Thomas, born without arms due to thalidomide syndrome, is a self-employed graphic designer and a member of the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association. Mr. Pandit is a paraplegic who is an Associate Professor at Sher-i-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS) and a researcher in medical genetics and cancer diagnostics.

Speaking at the event, Jayshree Raveendran, founder and executive director, Ability Foundation, said: “Each recipient here embodies the resilience of countless others who are still striving to break free from the constraints imposed by society. As they break these constraints, it is imperative that society, in turn, acknowledges their vast potential and fosters an environment where their contributions are just waiting to be utilised.”