It was the search for a three-wheeled scooter by a father for his 17 year old polio affected daughter that started it all.

He tried everything.
A search here and a search there.
Efforts to get one made.
Contacted even the Army that made tricycles for paraplegic men of its armed forces.

Yet, the simple but critical need of N S Hema, daughter of N S Ayyangar could not be met.

Finally, it was the England based Uncle who got the tricycle to cross the seas and arrive in Bangalore. “Like the Rolls Royce of my life” is how Hema describes the moment. Meeting with Fatima Ismail, the mother of a polio affected daughter, who had started a Rehabilitation Centre for disabled in the name of Fellowship of the Physically Handicapped in Mumbai was the second inspiring moment for Hema.

The mind of the young Hema began buzzing with dreams, hopes and ideas. To train and rehabilitate people with disability – bringing dignity and self-sufficiency in their life.

Her return to Bangalore only added fuel to her zeal as her father corresponded with N.D. Diwan, an ex-serviceman, and a wheelchair user, staying in Red Cross Home. They father daughter duo also met with Rev. I.L .Thomas (Principal of Bishop Cotton School) also a person using wheel chair and others to discuss the possibility of starting a Centre for helping the people with disability…

The rest, as they say, is history.

Hema along with the support of others, gave fulfillment to her dreams by founding APD. The journey since then is like the growth of an acorn into a majestic and strong oak, weathering both sunshine and storms with equal grace and grit.

APD is not just about the realization of a dream of a few individuals.

It is about APD replacing desolation with happiness. It is about replacing disenchantment with hope.  It is about replacing self-deprecation with self-esteem. For if today, the aspirations of hundreds and thousands of people with disabilities are being realized, it is because APD is fired by the spirit and temperament of Hema, every step of the way.

The oak is still growing and reaching for the skies…