FROM PROMISE TO PRACTICE
A Landscape Report on Disability Inclusion and Civil Society Action in India
Understanding disability inclusion across policy, philanthropy, civil society, and systems change.
About HSBC
HSBC INDIA AND SUSTAINABILITY
HSBC India’s strategy to support sustainable economic growth, focuses on Community Investment (CSR interventions), Sustainable Operations, Sustainable Finance and Sustainability Risk. The strategy is delivered through a combination of programmes, collaboration, and partnerships. We believe it requires a concerted effort between business, governments and other stakeholders on policies and programmes to support transition to a more sustainable future
HSBC INDIA
HSBC India offers a full range of banking and financial services through 31 branches across 19 cities. The Bank is at the forefront in arranging deals for Indian companies investing overseas and foreign investments into the country. HSBC is one of India’s leading financial services groups, with over 47,000 employees in its banking, investment banking and capital markets, asset management, insurance, software development and global resourcing operations in the country. It is a leading custodian in India.
HSBC HOLDINGS PLC
HSBC Holdings plc, the parent company of HSBC, is headquartered in London. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 56 countries and territories. With assets of US$3,306bn at 31 March 2026, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.
THE HONGKONG AND SHANGHAI BANKING CORPORATION LIMITED
The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited is the founding member of the HSBC Group. HSBC serves customers worldwide from offices in 56 countries and territories. With assets of US$3,306bn at 31 March 2026, HSBC is one of the world’s largest banking and financial services organisations.
About Dasra
Dasra, meaning ‘enlightened giving’ in Sanskrit, is a pioneering strategic philanthropic organization that aims for a transformed India where a billion thrive with dignity and equity. In 1999, Dasra began as a venture philanthropy fund to invest in earlystage nonprofit organizations in India. We recognized early that we had the responsibility, the capability, the connections, and the energy to be a long-game change agent and we resolved to make a transformative difference through it. Dasra has gone through different stages of evolution - from a philanthropy fund to a bridge between NGOs and funders, and now two decades later, it has cemented its identity as a leading nonprofit systems orchestrator working with diverse stakeholders across the social impact ecosystem. Over 26 years, we have engaged 1,208+ funders, mobilised $475 million in philanthropic capital, and supported 2,623+ organizations. We strengthen organizations and leaders, build philanthropy infrastructure, and unlock knowledge and long-term capital to cocreate solutions that shift systems and advance a more equitable future.
How to cite
Dasra, From Promise to Practice: A Landscape Report on Disability Inclusion and Civil Society Action in India (Mumbai: Dasra, 2026).
About the Artwork
‘Rolling Against Odds’
This painting portrays a girl with one artificial leg who embraces her disability with courage and pride. Balancing beautifully on skates, she transforms a challenge into a graceful expression of strength and resilience. She flaunts her difference, not as a weakness, but as a source of joy, confidence, and inspiration. Rolling Against Odds celebrates her journey of balance, inclusion, and unshakable determination — showing the world that nothing, not even disability, can stop her from living fully, freely, and beautifully
About the Artist
Shaily
An aspiring artist with a locomotor disability and an amputated right hand, Shaily paints solely with their left hand — a powerful testament to resilience and creativity. Art has been an inseparable part of their life since childhood. At the age of six, they began sketching deities from calendar images, instinctively seeing the world through a unique lens. While others painted the sun in shades of yellow and orange, they envisioned it in hues of white and blue. Untrained in any formal institution, their artistry is driven purely by passion and instinct. Praised early on for distinctive handwriting and imaginative thinking, they discovered that true joy in art lies in expressing emotions rather than replicating visuals. For them, painting is not just a creative outlet, but a means of transformation — turning limitations into possibilities and imagination into impactful expression.
We also extend our sincere thanks to Atypical Advantage for their support in helping source and facilitate the artwork for the cover page of this report. Discover more inspiring artwork by artists with disabilities at Atypical Advantage Arts.
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Chapter 03
Where Inclusion Breaks
Breakpoints and Intervention Patterns Across the Disability Ecosystem
Chapter 05
Cornerstones for Collaborative Action
Strategic Shifts for Government, Philanthropy, Industry and Civil Society