We are thrilled to share that Mr. Pranav Desai, Founder of Voice of Specially Abled People (VOSAP), represented the global disability community at one of the world’s most prestigious platforms—the United Nations Headquarters in New York. Mr. Desai spoke at the Civil Society CRPD Forum, organized under the framework of the 18th Conference of States Parties (COSP18) to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
📅 Date: Monday, June 9, 2025
🕙 Time: 11:45 AM – 1:00 PM (Session 2)
📍 Venue: Conference Room 4, UN Headquarters, New York
🎤 Session Theme: Empowering Persons with Disabilities and Enhancing Social Development Policies through Innovative Financing
The session explored transformative approaches to financing that uplift persons with disabilities (PwDs) worldwide. Mr. Desai highlighted VOSAP’s financing initiatives and sustainable policies aimed at accelerating the UN SDGs, urging bolder public-private partnerships, and advocating for technology-driven, policy-backed solutions to close the disability inclusion gap.
This marked a monumental milestone—VOSAP Founder’s 9th invitation to speak at the UN—in VOSAP’s global advocacy journey.
VOSAP Statement at COSP18 Civil Society Session 2 (Empowering PwD and Enhancing Social Development Policies through Innovative Financing)
Hello everyone! Good morning, good afternoon, and good evening to those joining remotely today!
My name is Pranav Desai, and I am the Founder of Voice of Specially Abled People, also known as VOSAP. I am also a person with a disability, and am honoured to be here today with all of you at COSP18. Today, I am going to share our VOSAP vision and programs, explaining how we can empower persons with disabilities not just through support or services, but also through untapped economic opportunities and innovative financing.
Our Vision
We believe in a world where every person with a disability can live with dignity, independence, and contribute to the economy once they are provided with needed assistive devices or scholarships or surgical and other medical interventions. VOSAP Vision 2047 aims for $1 trillion economic contribution from disability sector to India’s economy by year 2047. I had the privilege to present Vision 2047 to Honorable PM of India, earlier this year and also to 4 Ministers, including the Finance Minister of India.
Yes you heard that right. A trillion-dollar economy created by the eco-system of disability sector stakeholders, by focusing on ABILITY and harnessing the talent, skills, and innovation of our community. If we extrapolate for the world, I believe, we have the untapped economic opportunity of trillions of $.
The Problem with Traditional Funding.
Traditional funding models, which are many times welfare and charity driven have often left persons with disabilities behind. Society still looks at people with Disability with sympathy, sometimes people help them with charity but clearly that is NOT a sustainable model.
So, what can we do?
We need to think creatively, develop sustainable economic and financing models.
At VOSAP,
✅ We creatively fund the innovators of Assistive Devices to grow, by reducing their price with VOSAP subsidy for those who need. This helps give consumers of these assistive products, the pride of owning a device instead of being given as a freebie. With ownership, they use these products, ask for more features from vendors and products keep improving its adoption and impact
✅ VOSAP has been funding over 10 Assistive Tech innovators with thousands of such device empowering our community. This has resulted into creating a sustainable model where such products help Persons with disabilities learn, earn, and live a better life with proud ownership of innovative, at times AI enabled assistive devices.
✅ Under VOSAP Vision 2047, we recommended policy changes to Govt of India and presented how comprehensive tax incentives, tax money beyond CSR can start funding the needs of disability sector.
✅ VOSAP’s proposed model is sustainable for possibly all COSP members also to adopt. Instead of spending money primarily on welfare programs, there should be a balanced mix of reduced welfare AND increased self-funding mechanisms by way of giving tax incentives to companies to hire them, for accessibility upgrades and to families for home healthcare, buying assistive devices etc.
✅ Essentially, every financial transaction should have tax incentive to creatively finance the needs of disability sector. This will also create millions of new jobs that do not exist today in home health, special educators, physio therapists and in AT sector.
✅VOSAP is working actively with social impact funds, VC in social sector to join our mission of Purpose with Performance.
At VOSAP, we are:
✅ Helping thousands of people with assistive devices
✅ Driving policy changes with governments
✅ And creating new models of financial empowerment
But we can’t do it alone.
We need governments, companies, communities, and all of you at COSP18 to join us.
Let’s Transform, move forward from conversation to action together!
Thank you for listening. I’m happy to take your questions and continue this journey together. Thank you again.
Join us in celebrating this momentous achievement and standing with VOSAP as we bring disability rights to the forefront—globally.
