Sol’s Arc is working towards creating replicable, scalable solutions towards systemic change for persons with disabilities
"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish." These words by Michele Obama are personified by Sonali Saini, Sol's ARC's founder, Executive Director, and visionary entrepreneur. With over 25 years of experience in inclusive education, this promising innovator is now creating pathways to resilient livelihoods for the most underprivileged individuals. With support from Pragati by Meta and The/Nudge, Sol’s Arc is working towards creating replicable and scalable solutions towards systemic change for persons with disabilities.
"There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish." These words by Michele Obama are personified by Sonali Saini, Sol's ARC's founder, Executive Director, and visionary entrepreneur. With over 25 years of experience in inclusive education, this promising innovator is now creating pathways to resilient livelihoods for the most underprivileged individuals. With support from Pragati by Meta and The/Nudge, Sol’s Arc is working towards creating replicable and scalable solutions towards systemic change for persons with disabilities.
Ms. Saini has been a part of many prominent organizations in India, including Educate Girls, Teach for India, Central Square Foundation, and ATMA as an inclusive pedagogy consultant. Sonali has also played a pivotal role in numerous government committees related to education and is currently a board member of ATMA, an organisation that helps NGOs expand their capacity.
Ms. Saini has been a part of many prominent organizations in India, including Educate Girls, Teach for India, Central Square Foundation, and ATMA as an inclusive pedagogy consultant. Sonali has also played a pivotal role in numerous government committees related to education and is currently a board member of ATMA, an organisation that helps NGOs expand their capacity.
Tell us about your early life and what inspired you to develop an inclination towards entrepreneurial life.
As they say, experience is the true teacher. I recognized the need for innovation in special education due to a combination of my academic background and work in the disability field. I understood that many practices were obsolete and realised there hadn't been many systemic-level interventions to scale up.
So, it was in 2003, almost 19 years ago, that this realisation led me to establish Sol's ARC. It was the starting point of my journey towards building empowering and inclusive solutions.
How has your organisation evolved, and what has been a pivotal moment?
For the first decade, we operated a centre-based model that worked directly with children with disabilities, mental health challenges, and other vulnerabilities. Ten years later, "Sanskar's story" made us reflect on our model and influenced our current pivot.
Sanskar was a six-year-old child who became a part of our organization. While a documentary was being filmed to showcase our organization's efforts, Sanskar's story became a significant part of it. At that time, he was preparing for his Class 10 board exams.
When asked what he wanted to do when he grew up in the documentary, he responded, "When I grow up, I wish to go to the office, and I want to get married." As he said this, it struck us that no matter what we do on a central level, the bare minimum desires like that of Sanskar or any other child with disabilities won't be met.
We acknowledged that Sanskar and his family had experienced many hardships but still had no options for his future. It urged us to transform the way Sol's ARC functioned. Many children who should have been transitioning into young adulthood struggled with unemployment, lack of acceptance and exclusion.
Our education solution focused on improving learning outcomes for children with disabilities. This approach was based on Universal Design for Learning and adhering to State and National government curriculum standards. We also collaborated with Madhya Pradesh and Tamil Nadu State Governments, leading NGOs, and educational institutions, reaching over 4 million beneficiaries.
The success of the program and our potential to collaborate was showcased through our partnership with Educate Girls as a part of its Development Impact Bond (DIB)
Sanskar’s problem continued to plague us and led us in 2019 to develop our urban employment model focussed on individuals with autism and Intellectual disabilities (ID). Numerous interventions for young adults with physical disabilities and hearing loss already exist. But there were only a few solutions to address the inclusion of individuals with autism and ID in mainstream employment.
What solution did you deploy for increasing employment opportunities for this population?
Sol’s Arc mapped jobs across 3 sectors: hospitality, retail and office management, and built industry-specific accessible learning content. We also got certification for our courses with various sector councils, providing the beneficiaries with certifications and better employment opportunities.
We work with leading industry players like Amazon and Lemon Tree to provide internships and placement opportunities for urban youth. Sol’s Arc works through a collaborative model where we partner with various NGOs and national institutes to scale the program.
Sanskar worked with Amazon for 2.5 years and is currently on a break due to personal issues. We care very deeply about providing millions of individuals like Sanskar with hope and the opportunity to fulfil their dreams.
What is the current status of your organisation's work, and what goals do you have for the future? How has an association with Meta Pragati and The/Nudge helped this vision?
With experience from our educational initiatives, we realised that the eventual scale would only come through partnering with the Government. With 70% rural population, we must find solutions for persons with disabilities in rural areas to achieve a real impact.
However, while the poverty alleviation programs from the Government aim to address persons with disabilities (PWD), there is no meaningful implementation of the same. More than 80% of PWDs will get caught in the poverty cycle, and until their needs are addressed, India cannot achieve the SDGs.
Turning our focus to rural livelihood solutions, we began a pilot in Mujkawa, a small village in Gujarat, in technical partnership with National Dairy Development Board.
The Meta Pragati program of The/Nudge Incubator has helped us quickly think about whether the pilot in one village can be scaled to a State model in the near term. Our exposure to the End Ultra Poverty program of The/Nudge in Jharkhand has helped to think about solutions at the population scale and incorporate their learnings in our thinking.
Can you please share the role of Pragati by Meta and The/Nudge in helping you succeed as an entrepreneur?
We are part of The/Nudge Incubator. This collaboration with Pragati by Meta and The/Nudge has pushed us to focus more on scalable solutions, exploring strategic partnerships, and building resilient livelihoods for our beneficiaries.
Our regular interactions with Akash Raman and our mentor Paresh Parasnis have forced us to think more about our Theory of Change and the measurement of our impact. The boot camps and other sessions have given us inspiration and learning. We have also benefited from interactions with the sector connections provided by The/Nudge and a great peer group.
Lastly, what are your critical insights on the difficulties women entrepreneurs face in creating women's livelihoods and strategies for developing resilience?
Women's entrepreneurship is a multi-disciplinary term encompassing economic, psychological, social, cultural, political, and environmental factors.
The issues are magnified when we address women with disabilities, who remain the most vulnerable group. Meta’s vision of empowering women leaders through their Pragati program has inspired us to think about how women with disabilities can become inclusion champions in their villages and reimagine a world where no woman is left behind.
Disclaimer: This article is a promotional feature and does not have journalistic/editorial involvement of Hindustan Times. Hindustan Times does not endorse/subscribe to the content(s) of the article/advertisement and/or view(s) expressed herein. Hindustan Times shall not in any manner, be responsible and/or liable in any manner whatsoever for all that is stated in the article and/or also with regard to the view(s), opinion(s), announcement(s), declaration(s), affirmation(s) etc., stated/featured in the same.