Founded in 2004 by Shilpi Kapoor, Mumbai's BarrierBreak employs testers and consultants with disabilities to audit and co-design digital products for clients worldwide, running 200,000+ accessibility-testing hours a year and holding India's DEPwD auditor empanelment.
200,000+
Accessibility-testing hours per year
Details
Maturity
Established
Promoter
BarrierBreak
Period
2004–present
Keywords
digital accessibility, consulting, assistive technology
Context
BarrierBreak is a digital accessibility and inclusive-design consultancy founded in Mumbai in 2004 by Shilpi Kapoor, built on the principle that people with disabilities should lead the evaluation of products meant to serve them.
Activities
The 'People First' testing model embeds testers and consultants with disabilities directly in client engagements; one documented study had ten participants across the low-vision-to-blind spectrum evaluate the Reserve Bank of India's redesigned accessible coins.
Results
BarrierBreak reports running more than 200,000 hours of accessibility testing annually and is empanelled by India's DEPwD as a government web-accessibility auditor.
Implementation
Indicative cost
Low (< €50k) — Commercial consultancy business (client-funded); specific engagement costs not published.
Time to results
Long (> 3 years) — Founded 2004 in Mumbai.
Staffing & skills
testers and consultants with disabilities embedded directly in client engagements ('People First' model)
Conditions for success
government auditor empanelment (India's DEPwD)
disability-led testing model rather than external expert evaluation
Common failure modes
testing-volume and staffing figures self-reported, not independently audited
Commonly funded by
Own resources / municipal budget
Indicative funding routes for practices of this type — always check each programme's current calls and eligibility rules.
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Data sources
Where this practice's information was retrieved from, and when.
UNICEF, Paraguay's Ministry of Education and Paraguay Educa adapted school textbooks into accessible digital formats — audio narration, sign-language video, …