Rashi Maharjan from Impact Hub Kathmandu shared raw, honest lessons from two programs that didn’t go perfectly, and that’s exactly what made them valuable. During their Nepal Assistive Device Makeathon, venue accessibility challenges became teachable moments. “Accessibility is not an afterthought—it’s a foundation for respect,” Rashi stressed.

Her Building Entrepreneurial Access Model (BEAM) program revealed deeper truths: entrepreneurship often becomes a last resort for people with disabilities facing workplace discrimination, yet their innovations frequently emerge from necessity and resourcefulness. Key insight is co-creation with persons with disabilities from day one, not consultation at the end.