Disability, Design and Innovation MSc student wins Diana Award 2024 for social service

This year, 27 Indian students have been awarded the ‘Roll of Honour’ of Diana Awards - including Kavya Mukhija, a master’s student on the Disability, Design, and Innovation MSc programme run by the Global Disability Innovation Hub (GDI Hub; part of Department of Computer Science and UCL Interaction Centre) at UCL.

The award recognises exceptional young people have demonstrated their ability to inspire and mobilise new generations to serve their communities and create long-lasting change on a global scale. Instituted in memory of the late Princess Diana, the award is the highest recognition a young person can achieve for social action or humanitarian efforts. It is supported by both her sons, HRH The Prince of Wales and Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex, and presented by a charity bearing the same name.

UCL student Kavya Mukhija, currently studying the GDI Hub's Disability, Design and Innovation MSc joins 200 young people across 45 countries. In this piece piece we hear more from Kavya on this outstanding achievement.

Can you tell us more about the award

'I received my Diana Award for my disability rights advocacy, that I had been engaged in since the age of 15. The Diana Award is a prestigious recognition established in memory of Princess Diana to honour young individuals aged 9-25 for their exceptional contributions to humanitarian causes or social change. It is the most revered accolade a young person can receive for their social efforts globally.'

Can you share more on your work

'In May this year, I co-authored a chapter on access to education, Present but Forgotten, for children with disabilities in India, which was included in a comprehensive report titled Finding Sizes for All by NALSAR University of Law. The report addressed critical gaps in accessibility and equality in educational opportunities for disabled students. Drawing from the findings of this report, the Supreme Court of India delivered a landmark ruling in November 2024, declaring accessibility a fundamental right for individuals with disabilities.

I am also the founder of Namastey Disability, a virtual peer support network promoting accessibility and inclusion.

Since June 2023, I have been serving as the Chief Operating Officer and Trustee of Chronic Pain India. Our advocacy efforts led to the Pain Disability Scale being included in the new assessment guidelines of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, making millions of people with Chronic Pain and other Chronic Neurological Conditions eligible for a Disability Certificate in India.'

How studying the MSc Disability Design and Innovation is supporting your passion for accelerating disability inclusion?

'Being a wheelchair user coming from the Global South, exclusionary design has been my biggest foe. I was very keen to explore ways to make physical infrastructure more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable while keeping in mind factors like culture and resources. The all-encompassing approach of the MSc in Disability, Design and Innovation has allowed me to widen my perspective and start thinking about accessibility in the most unthought-of context like parenting or intimacy... Because that is that accessibility is all about - it is everywhere. A year later, I cannot wait to see the skills I would have acquired to make lives of people with disabilities back in India not only more accessible and inclusive, but also happier and more fun!'

The MSc Disability Design and Innovation

This degree blends research, engineering, and design skills with the societal context of disability, accelerating future pioneers in the emerging field of disability innovation. Designed for those passionate about creating accessible and assistive technologies and inclusive designs. The programme bring together a diverse cohort of students from across the computer science, engineering, design, humanities and policy space to equip students with the skills to make a significant impact in disability innovation.

Director of the Disability Design and Innovation MSc, Professor Youngjun Cho said "We are delighted that our bright student Kavya has been recognised with this renowned and much deserved award for her impactful work across the advocacy space. As an emerging leader in the field of disability innovation, Kavya continues actively bringing passion and knowledge to all she does, and we are very proud of her and our Disability Design and Innovation cohort!"