Published Paper Details:

Children with Disabilities (CwDs) in India face profound challenges to survival and life expectancy not because of their medical conditions alone, but because of the social and structural barriers that surround them. Poverty, prejudice, inaccessible environments, and weak policy enforcement combine to create cycles of exclusion, leaving many children marginalized in schools, healthcare, and everyday social life. This study takes a systems approach to show how these forces interact, shaping survival not as an isolated medical issue but as part of a wider web of inequality. It highlights how stigma, economic hardship, and inadequate institutional support erode dignity and wellbeing over time. Within this framework, yoga is explored not only as a therapeutic practice but also as a philosophy that emphasizes resilience, embodiment, and interconnectedness. Yoga based inclusion is presented as a pathway to healing, capacity building, and the disruption of exclusionary norms. By embedding yogic principles into disability inclusive policies, survival can be reframed from a story of deficit to one of resilience and growth. Ultimately, this paper offers a conceptual foundation for reimagining inclusive futures in India--futures where structural reforms and culturally rooted practices come together to advance equity, dignity, and longer, more fulfilling lives for children with disabilities.