Denied Schooling Till 18, This Woman With 90% Disability Is Now Pursuing Journalism From a Wheelchair

Denied education until the age of 18, Ruchita Sahukariis today pursuing journalism from a wheelchair.

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Born with brittle bone disease, the 25-year-old dreams of becoming the first journalist in India with 90 percent disability — a journey powered by sheer will, a supportive family, and an institute that chose to change with her.

Every morning, a group of students wheel Ruchita from her rented accommodation in Dhenkanal to the Indian Institute of Mass Communication (IIMC) campus. When India’s premier journalism institute said ‘yes’ to her dream, new challenges emerged. But her classmates decided that no barrier would block her path.

At 18, Ruchita had barely completed primary school. At 25, she already has 3–4 bylines to her credit in national dailies and is winning awards for disability advocacy. These numbers tell part of her story. But so do these statistics — in India, students with disabilities make up less than 1 percent of higher education enrollment.

Ruchita is now taking the initiative to bring change, supported by parents who refused to give up on her, friends who stand with her, and an institution willing to adapt to her needs.

ThisInternational Day of Persons with Disabilities— themed ‘Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress’ — Ruchita’s journey illuminates a powerful truth: inclusion isn’t just about physical access. It is about belief, adaptation, and the courage to say ‘yes’ when the world expects you to say ‘no’.

The girl who wasn’t supposed to study

Ruchita lives with Osteogenesis Imperfecta (OI), a genetic condition that renders her bones as fragile as glass. “When my daughter Ruchita was born, we did not know that she had a condition in which her bones could break easily,” recalls her father, Tulsidas. “Like people usually do with newborns, we were gently massaging her. Within moments, we heard the sound of a bone breaking.”

The diagnosis was followed by societal cruelty. “People used to say, ‘Why are you raising this child? Leave her somewhere. Why are you suffering so much for her?’ Many even suggested that she should be allowed to die,” Tulsidas shares.

Schools refused to admit her, unwilling to “take any risks”. Some principals suggested enrolling her in a special school. But her parents stood firm, insisting she was physically challenged, not mentally. Despite their determination, Ruchita remained excluded from basic schooling until the age of 18.

“I used to look down upon myself,” she admits. “I felt like I really frustrated my parents. I wanted to die. But I’ve changed now, and I know that none of it is my fault.”

The turning point — and the long road to a degree

Everything shifted when, at 18, she discovered Amrithavarshini, an NGO in Kerala. There she met its founder, Latha Nayar — whom she lovingly calls her “another mother” — and a community of others with OI. Doctors, engineers, and peers became her first friends and inspiration.

But the academic gap remained enormous.

To bridge it, Ruchita joined the Bachelor Preparatory Programme (BPP) at IGNOU — a six-month course for individuals aged 18 or older who lack the conventional 10+2 qualification required to pursue a bachelor’s degree at IGNOU. After completing the programme in 2021, she earned her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Sociology and English Literature from IGNOU in 2023.

This was when she fell in love with the English language and first aspired to become a journalist. Armed with her BA degree, she soon set her sights on IIMC. “I had IIMC in my mind for the past couple of years,” she says.

When a campus chooses to change

Getting into IIMC’s Eastern Regional Campus at Dhenkanal was one victory; navigating it physically was another. In India, where fewer than two percent of educational institutions are fully accessible, Ruchita’s arrival posed questions the campus had not yet answered.

But IIMC chose to listen — and respond.

When Ruchita raised accessibility challenges, the administration built ramps across the campus and began constructing a special room for her in the ladies’ hostel. The institute also allowed her mother to stay on campus during class hours to assist with daily chores, mobility, and personal care — a compassionate exception that transformed possibility into reality.

“Supporting Ruchita isn’t an exception. It’s an affirmation of our values. When we remove barriers, we don’t just enable learning, we nurture dignity, courage, and the right to dream,” says Prof (Dr) Anand K Pradhan, Regional Director of IIMC Dhenkanal.

Professor Biranchi Narayan Seth adds, “Her health condition may slow her limbs, but it sharpens her insight. She listens deeply, observes keenly, and writes empathetically. And the best part is that she already has a few byline stories to her credit.”

Those bylines, published in The Hans India, cover stories often overlooked — the inaccessibility of Laxmi Puja pandals and community health initiatives. Her most challenging assignment came during the 2025 Bihar elections coverage, when her classroom turned into a live newsroom. But her peers created their own ecosystem of support.

“They make me feel like nothing is impossible,” she says, referring to her best friends — Ashwini Narware, Priyanjal Rai, Kushal Gaikwad, Andem Abhinav Reddy, and Aniket Jha.

“Each morning, when we push Ruchita’s wheelchair, we are not just helping her chase her dreams. We believe that we are pushing a greater cause forward, closer to inclusion, and equal opportunity,” says Priyanjal Rai.

The legacy she is building

This year, Ruchita received the Rare Star Award from the Organisation for Rare Diseases India (ORDI) for her advocacy work. She dreams of becoming an advocacy journalist, illuminating policy gaps and accessibility failures.

Her message to parents raising children with disabilities is direct: “Parents have the responsibility to educate themselves and empower their child. You must trust and empower your child instead of leaving them vulnerable. Change within the family, within the home, is the stepping stone towards bringing social change.”

Tulsidas, who borrowed repeatedly to fund treatments while people advised him to abandon his daughter, now watches her transformation with quiet pride. “The people who once advised us to let her die cannot even look her in the eye today.”

Ruchita’s bones may be fragile, but her resolve is anything but that. And in IIMC’s newly accessible corridors, the future of Indian journalism is being written.

With inputs from Ijjya Priyadarshini, IIMC, Dhenkanal; Pictures courtesy Aastha Mishra, IIMC, Dhenkanal