NIDWAN’s journey began in 2003, rooted in Pratima Gurung’s personal experiences of structural discrimination across institutions, systems, and within disability and other social movements. She raised ethnicity as one of the key layers of identity contributing to the exclusion of persons with disabilities. Her academic path further shaped this advocacy. Through the Social Inclusion Research Fund (SIRF) in 2006, she conducted research on disability, gender, and indigeneity, initiating critical discussions on the private sphere and political agendas linked to multiple identity groups—particularly women with disabilities and Indigenous women with disabilities. Together with the late Lom Maya Tamang, the founding treasurer of NIDWAN, she emphasized the importance of understanding intersectional identities. In 2006, Pratima began introducing the concepts of intersectionality and diversity within disability, Indigenous, and feminist movements. These efforts were initially met with resistance and accusations, which ultimately strengthened her resolve. This pushback led her to unite groups with multiple identities in 2012. In 2015, the Nepal earthquake created unique situations and challenges, especially for Indigenous women and girls with disabilities. These experiences laid the foundation for the formal establishment of NIDWAN.