On Thursday, 28 August 2025, the streets of Kolkata once again belonged to para-athletes. Around 300 people – athletes, students, lawyers, activists and ordinary citizens – joined the Civilian Welfare Foundation (CWF) for the annual Walk for Paralympics. This year the walk carried a clear message: women athletes with intellectual disabilities deserve to be seen, supported and celebrated.

A walk like no other

CWF has organised the Walk for Paralympics every year since 2012, on or around 28 August. To our knowledge it remains the only dedicated walk in the world raising awareness about Paralympic sports and the rights of para-athletes. What began as a small public march has become a fixture in the city's calendar, bringing together people who might otherwise never share a road.

The walk has always been about more than visibility. Each edition has carried a demand – for better infrastructure, for more playgrounds, for equal opportunities for athletes with disabilities. When the 2023 walk set off from Ramlila Maidan to Park Circus Maidan, participants called for better facilities and playgrounds for para-athletes.

Growing year on year

The numbers tell a story of steady growth and commitment:

• 2022: around 200 participants – theme: Paralympic awareness and disability rights
• 2023: around 250 participants – theme: Infrastructural Support for Athletes with Disabilities
• 2024: around 250 participants – theme: Paris Paralympics, celebrating India's historic medal achievements
• 2025: around 300 participants – theme: Female Athletes with Intellectual Disabilities

Why women with intellectual disabilities?

Women with intellectual disabilities face what is often called "double discrimination" – on account of both their gender and their disability. Baseline data from the Olympism365 programme that CWF supports in West Bengal shows that more than 95% of participating women have experienced some form of gender-based violence, often from someone they know.

Our own research shows that systematic sports training sustained over several years supports the psychosocial empowerment of athletes with disabilities. Sport challenges rigid gender roles, builds confidence and creates safe public spaces. That is why the 2025 walk put these athletes at its centre – alongside our work with partners to train 600 women with intellectual disabilities across six sports disciplines.

Part of a larger journey

The walk sits within more than a decade of CWF's work in disability sports. Over the years CWF has helped establish blind football in Bengal, introduced mixed-disability football in India, organised India's first national para-triathlon and the first tri-nation T20 wheelchair cricket tournament between India, Nepal and Bangladesh. Through our Adopt a Para-athlete initiative, nearly 56 para-athletes have received consistent support for training, equipment, nutrition and travel.

Every one of these steps began with people showing up – just as they did on 28 August. To everyone who walked with us this year: thank you. We will see you on the road again next August.

Walk with us

Everything described here is made possible by volunteers, partners and donors who believe that inclusion should be lived, not just promised. If this story moved you, please consider supporting CWF with a donation (80G tax-deductible), or joining us as a volunteer, intern or partner.