Enterprise
Joy of Making Travel
More Accessible
With Planet Abled, the enterprising Neha
Arora has created a one-stop travel shop
for the disabled. By Rimme Dirchi
T
he journey of Planet Abled, a company that provides
travel solutions to the disabled, began when its founder
Neha Arora was a little girl. Trained to be an engineer,
33-year old Arora spent nine years in the corporate sector,
but she always knew what she wanted to do in life. With disabled
parents—her mother is wheelchair-bound and her father is blind
—Arora believes there is a sense of discrimination when it comes
to access to public spaces. Arora explains: “As kids, my sister and I
wanted to travel with our parents. All of us shared our love for travel,
despite many complications along the way. We have always been
there to take care of our parents, but I realised there was more that I
could do. Everyone loves to travel, including people with disabilities,
that is where the idea of Planet Abled germinated.’’
Given that public infrastructure is still not very accessible to
people like her parents, Arora wanted to start a conversation on
social inclusion. She hosts workshops on the subject with different
entities and even engages with not for profits to create more
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awareness. Public transport in India, like
buses and trains, are devoid of accessible
platforms for people with disabilities. Even
when it comes to every day work commute,
there are many challenges one faces
with public transport. In such scenarios,
travelling can sometimes feel like a
luxury, she says.
Planet Abled intends to bring universal
accessibility to the forefront. “We make
customised, tailor-made travel happen for
anyone who is interested. We have had
group trips with people with great mix of
all kinds of disabilities and these have been
enriching interactions for everyone involved.
Whether it is about visiting heritage sites,
religious spots, and regular get-togethers,