Reimagining Ability: How One Woman’s Spirit Empowered Hundreds | Sandhya Dhar | TEDxGMC Doda
In this deeply inspiring TEDx Talk, Ms. Sandhya Dhar, Nari Shakti Puruskar Awardee (2020) and Founder of JIGER Institute, shares her extraordinary journey of resilience, purpose, and empowerment.Born with cerebral palsy, Sandhya faced challenges that could have easily limited her dreams but she chose to redefine possibility instead.With unyielding determination, she earned multiple degrees including an MBA, became a government officer, and went on to create JIGER — an institute that has transformed the lives of over 400 specially-abled children by providing them with inclusive education, skill training, and most importantly, dignity.A national boccia medalist and a fearless advocate for disability rights, Sandhya’s story is not just about overcoming obstacles; it’s about reimagining ability, challenging perceptions, and proving that the human spirit knows no bounds.Her talk at TEDxGMC Doda, under the theme “The Art of Possibility”, stands as a beacon of hope and empowerment reminding us that true strength lies not in perfection, but in perseverance.Speaker: Ms. Sandhya Dhar, Nari Shakti Puruskar Awardee
Event: TEDxGMCDoda 2025 - The Art of Possibility
Venue: Government Medical College, Doda
-
#DisabilityIsNotInability #Inclusion #WomenEmpowerment #StrengthWithin #InspiringWoman Sandhya Dhar, recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar 2020 and founder of JIGER (Jammu Institute of General Education and Rehabilitation), is a remarkable example of The Art of Possibility in action.
Diagnosed with cerebral palsy at a young age, she defied the odds to earn multiple degrees, including an MBA, and now serves in the J&K government.
Through JIGER, she has transformed the lives of over 400 specially-abled children, offering them inclusive education, skill training, and dignity.
A national boccia medalist and fierce advocate for disability rights, Sandhya's story is not just one of resilience-it's a call to reimagine what's possible.
Her journey will move you, challenge your perspectives, and inspire vou to believe that limitations exist onlv until we choose to rise beyond them. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
More from TED
- 12:56Accessible dance for accessible wellbeing | Alice Gregory | TEDxNHSDance brings joy, connection, and proven health benefits for people of all ages. Studies from across the world show it strengthens mental health, reduces frailty, and decreases social isolation. Yet, access to dance for wellbeing benefit remains inequitable. As ballroom teacher and designer of equitable health services, Alice highlights how inclusive design and simple actions—like describing movements or engaging volunteer support—can open dance to everyone. This talk calls for fair funding, flexible delivery, and personal connection in delivery of dance. Movement is medicine and everyone deserves to feel completely themselves and totally alive. Alice is a service designer at the Institute of Global Health Innovation, but her true love has always been dance. A trained ballroom dancer, she knows firsthand how movement can benefit our wellbeing - boosting heart health, strengthening muscles, lifting mood, and connecting us to others. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
- 11:19When Wrong is Actually Right | Jesse Ritka | TEDxFargoA meteorologist's perspective on being wrong in forecasting and in life but how sometimes what you may think is wrong, is actually right. Growing up in Prior Lake, MN, Jesse has always been fascinated by storms. Whether it’s a massive snow storm or just a thunderstorm, she would sit on the family’s front steps, watching the weather play out in front of her eyes.Knowing in middle school that meteorology was the subject she wanted to study for the rest of her life, she mentored at the National Weather Service before she majored in meteorology at Iowa State University, minoring in journalism.Like a cyclone, Jesse swirled around the Midwest, starting her television career in Sioux Falls, SD. She moved to Milwaukee, WI to chase severe weather and broadcast from snowstorms and festivals. Almost ten years after moving away from one Dakota, Jesse moved to the other, coming to WDAY with her husband and two boys. Jesse loves spending time with her family, whether that's in the garden, out exploring local parks or trying new foods. And when the weather cooperates, you most likely will find her outdoors taking advantage of it. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
- 18:00It All Begins with Birds: Following the Thread of Connection | Marshall Johnson | TEDxFargoBirds don’t just migrate—they connect us. Through one bird’s epic journey, this talk explores how migration reveals our shared responsibility, resilience, and hope in a changing world. Marshall Johnson is deeply committed to engaging in impactful, mission-driven work to address the urgent challenges of climate change and biodiversity loss. Marshall plays an active role in shaping global conservation policy throughout the United States, Canada, Latin America, and the Caribbean. He serves on the North American Wetlands Conservation Council, the Neotropical Migratory Bird Conservation Advisory Group, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife’s Hunting and Wildlife Conservation Council. His contributions have been recognized with the North Dakota Habitat Award, Prairie Business “40 Under 40”, and the University of Minnesota’s Abbey Alumni Award.A proud Canopy member, he stands for the protection of birds and the places they need to thrive. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
- 10:03Unlocking Autonomy: Digitizing and Democratizing AI in Agriculture | Steven Mirsky | TEDxFargoIn this talk, Dr. Steven Mirsky explores how the future of autonomous agriculture hinges on developing open-access, annotated images libraries to train computer vision models. While the tools for AI-driven farming—robots, sensors, and computer vision—are advancing rapidly, the real bottleneck is the availability of open, high-quality training data and accessible, modular hardware. Dr. Mirsky makes the case that to truly unlock autonomy in agriculture, we must first digitize the farm and then democratize the data and tools that power intelligent systems. He outlines how an open ecosystem of AI, data, and hardware can enable precision sustainable agriculture. Steven Mirsky leads the Sustainable Agricultural Systems Laboratory at the USDA Agricultural Research Service. For over 25 years, he has advanced sustainable and precision agriculture for field crop producers. Most recently, he launched the Digital Agricultural Systems Hub (DASH), USDA’s enterprise platform for developing computer vision and AI solutions deployed by plant scientists, breeders, and farmers.Through DASH, he is accelerating the path to agricultural autonomy by building and curating AgIR—the National Open-Access Plant Image Repository—and developing PlantMap3D, a modular camera system designed for plant phenotyping and precision farming applications. Dr. Mirsky holds a B.A. in Agroecology, an M.S. in Soil Fertility and Quality, and a Ph.D. in Agronomy with a focus on Weed Ecology. He has published approximately 150 peer-reviewed journal articles. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
- 10:16Identity Agents: How We Finally Solve the Problem of Spam | Robert Anderson | TEDxAnchorageIn this talk, Robert talks about SPAM and how it is a result of fragmented digital identities, where data is scattered across multiple platforms. The idea of "identity agents" is to create bots that consolidate your information, giving you control over what messages you receive and eliminating unwanted spam. It’s a potential solution to the chaos of online communication. In this talk, Robert talks about SPAM and how it is a result of fragmented digital identities, where data is scattered across multiple platforms. The idea of "identity agents" is to create bots that consolidate your information, giving you control over what messages you receive and eliminating unwanted spam. It’s a potential solution to the chaos of online communication. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
- 8:52How young people will shape the future | Clement Sinyangwe | TEDxLOTS YouthThis talk explores how our ideas and innovations have the power to define tomorrow. The talk reminds us that creating the future isn’t just about possibility it’s about responsibility. Dr. Sinyangwe is a seasoned ICT professional and leader with over 20 years of experience at the intersection of technology, business, and ethics. He holds a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in ICT with a focus on Ethics of ICTs (Cybersecurity), a Master of Science (MSc) in Computer Science from NIPA, a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the University of Zambia in collaboration with Zimbabwe Open University, a Bachelor of Science (BSc Hons) in Computing from the University of Greenwich, and Diplomas in Management of Information Systems and in Information Systems & Programming. He is the President of the ICT Association of Zambia (ICTAZ), Chairperson of the Research Committee at the Technology Information Confederation for Africa (TICONA), Member of the National e-Government Technical Committee (2023–2026), and Member of the ICT and Digitalization Technical Working Group under the Presidential Public-Private Dialogue Forum. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
