Sumit Agarwal, born with cerebral palsy and 70 percent movement restriction was awarded LinkedIn Top Voice. A shy boy since childhood ultimately did MBA with record marks and did diploma in Mass Communication from Jadavpur University. But when it came to becoming self-reliant and becoming a working professional, the stigma and discriminative nature of the interviewers stopped him from getting any jobs irrespective of his 9.05 CGPA. But these rejections could not break his spirit. He decided to become a job provider rather than a job seeker.

As an entrepreneur with a disability from Kolkata with a specialty in public relations, Sumit started writing on LinkedIn in the last 24 months. His LinkedIn post generally feature issues related to diversity and inclusion , an issue which is very close to his heart and sketches of people empower others through their work. His unique take on engaging people and empowering them to work towards a well diverse and inclusive society has garnered him a lot of attention and he has been awarded the LinkedIn Top Voice 2022 for his work in the field of Job Search and Career.

Every year, LinkedIn honors over 300 writers by compiling a list known as the "LinkedIn Top Voices.". But this year LinkedIn News is debuting its 'Top Voices - Job Search and Careers' list. They have shared a list of 15 such thought leaders and career coaches, all of whom represent the very best of LinkedIn India creators. These are LinkedIn initiative that honors influencers who utilize social media platforms to express their views and voice to the world. People on the list have been very engaging and interactive with their audiences over the year via their posts. The Top Voices on LinkedIn are chosen based on a set of parameters and are based on various categories.

Sumit is humbled by the LinkedIn Top Voice award at this juncture, as it an amazing form of recognition for his work in empowering more people with disability to realize their true potential and achieve their dreams. With the advent of the pandemic all the possible efforts put forth by people in India has seen a downward spiral. With millions of people coming under unemployment and falling below the poverty line there has been a rising trend in people from diverse communities, namely disabled people who have become more susceptible to losing their jobs, to the health impact, to mental health issues to name a few.

Sumit Agarwal has been making an effort not just through his LinkedIn but also as a Diversity and Inclusion Speaker to bring awareness to the seriousness of this issue. But, even with all the uproar about diversity and inclusion, it is unnerving that people still think of it as a passing trend. In recent times various companies around the globe have started implementing diversity and inclusion talks and policies but how many of these companies actually are working towards raising awareness and hiring a diversified workforce? And how has India been faring in this hiring trend? The answer to this question is not enough. As an SDG ambassador for Diversity & Inclusion and with his personal experiences in life battling with the stereotypes of disability has made him a strong advocate for diversity and inclusion.

Sumit has been extremely vocal about bringing to the attention of people not only the essentiality but also the positive impact of creating an inclusive environment, in the society , in the workplace and in educational sectors He has been voicing out not just his story but also the state of disabled people to raise an awareness among the general populous to help them realize that people from the disabled community are not very different from them. They are neither ‘dis -abled not are they ‘specially- abled’. So, to truly become an inclusive nation it is essential to become more accepting towards our diverse group of people. His powerful journey has been a testament to not just his efforts of surviving but also succeeding in life. Sumit Agarwal says “if I can do it so can everybody else all you need is to believe in your true ability not your ‘disability’.”