Akhil has played a pivotal role in making deafblind people a known entity in India. Equipped
with degrees in Science, Law, Social Work and Diploma in Multiple Disabilities from Perkins
School for the Blind (USA), from 1989, Akhil worked with National Association for the Blind
(India) for 7 years in reaching out to rural blind through Community Based Rehabilitation.
In 1997, he took up the challenge of developing services for deafblind when not even
handful of people knew what deafblindness was and nurtured the movement to the extent
that today, from one service in 1997 to in more than 60 in 24 states in India as well as in
Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malaysia.
Today Sense India has transformed lives of more than 85,000 deafblind people and ensuring
their rightful inclusion in our society. Under Akhil's leadership, Sense India has created
networks of teachers, deafblind adults, and their families. He has succeeded in creating a
dedicated team to ensure that deafblind people are 'seen & heard'. It is the persistent
efforts under his active stewardship that ‘deafblindness’ has been recognized as a unique
category of disability under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act-2016.
Retired Head and Dean Coordination, Department of Education of Groups with Special Needs and Inclusive Educationl, National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT), Delhi, India. During my tenure and even after retirement I have been Involved in various research, training, development and consultation activities both at the National and International Levels and have played a leadership role in the major programs of the Government of India like the Samagara Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA), providing consultancy and. In the process, have developed three handbooks for including children with special needs in regular classrooms at primary and upper primary levels and an Index for Inclusive schools. Published a number of research and other papers in the area of inclusive education. Being a pioneer in the area of curriculum adaptation and UDL, I, provided significant inputs for the latest National Education Policy, 2020, National Curriculum Framework and Position paper on education of groups with special needs. Have been a member of editorial board for UNESCO’s publication “State of Education Report for India 2019: Children with Disabilities and also conducted a research study on “Meeting the Human Resource Challenges for Inclusion of Children with Disabilities in Schools: A Critical Review of Policies and Practices on Teachers and other Key Education Personnel (2017)”, UNESCO, India. Also a member of Core Group on Children with the National Human Rights Commission and consultative group of Niti Aayog on Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities.Recenrly was a special invitee for the Working Committee for developing National Guidelines and Implementation Framework on Equitable and Inclusive Education, 2023.
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Prof. Sudesh Mukhopadhyay served as Chairperson of the Rehabilitation Council of India. She superannuated in March 2011 from NUEPA/NIEPA as Head of the Department of Inclusive Education and has headed multiple departments. She has a Ph.D. (Education) from M.S. University of Baroda; is an Associate of the London University Institute of Education in Special Education, and has been a Visiting Fellow at Manitoba University, Canada, and Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia.
She works with multiple governments (Central & State), and national and international organizations to enhance their professional contributions to the implementation process of NEP2020 and related Court judgments and other such updates for the Empowerment of the PwDs and advocacy with different stakeholders. In January 2023, she received the RUSTOM MERWANJI ALPAIWALLA MEMORIAL AWARD-2023 in recognition of her outstanding contribution as a “Professional Worker” to the Welfare of the Visually Challenged NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR THE BLIND, INDIA, Mumbai.
Dr. Anupam Ahuja is a former Professor, Head Department of Education of Group with Special Needs and International Relations Division at NCERT. She has 39 years of National and International experience in the field of education with a focus on developing inclusive practices. Professor Ahuja has worked in more than 20 countries on numerous assignments on training, initiating, guiding and evaluating inclusive programmes in Africa, Asia, and Eastern Europe for UNESCO, UNICEF, World Bank, Braillo Norway, and a number of other international organisations.
She has contributed to many national and international research-based publications on education and school improvement for Children with Special Needs. She is a member of the advisory group to the UNESCO IBE and the most recent publication – Reaching out to all Learners: A resource pack for supporting inclusion and equity in education. She is the founder and co-editor of EENET Asia.
Dr. Mythili Ramchand is currently Professor and Co-chairperson at the Centre of Excellence in Teacher Education, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai. Before joining TISS she was the Director of RV Educational Consortium, Bangalore from 2005 to 2018. She worked as science teacher educator and a high school physics teacher prior to 2005. Her research interests are in the areas of philosophy of education, initial teacher preparation, inclusive education and mediation of resources in teaching learning process.
Mythili has led a number of collaborative projects and research studies including a Government of India supported research on comparative study of initial teacher education in the BRICS countries, an inclusive STEM teacher education programme in Nigeria, Tanzania and Bhutan, a research project focused on supporting educators for inclusive education in India, and co-developing a transnational module on global teacher education policies and practices for equitable and quality education. She helped launch the South Asia Research Hub on Inclusive Education. She has worked on initial teacher education curriculum and developed reading and related materials and been involved in capacity enhancement programmes for faculty of education. Mythili has offered her consultancy to a number of organisations and been in the panel of committees on teacher education curriculum renewal and reforms. Some of the recent publications include: Ramchand, M., Chandran, M., Rai, R., & Vithanapathirana, M. (2023). School Practicum Experience in Initial Teacher Education during Times of Disruptions: The Case of Bhutan, India and Sri Lanka. In Uma Pradhan, Karen Valentin and Mohini Gupta (Eds). Rethinking Education in the Context of Post-Pandemic South Asia (pp. 199-214). London: Routledge. Ramchand, M., Khunyakari, R., & Bose, A. Eds (2023). Learning without Burden. London: Routledge. Padalkar, S., Ramchand, M., Shaikh, R., & Vijaysimha, I. (2022). Science Education: Developing Pedagogical Content Knowledge. Routledge India. Ramchand, M. (2021). Conceptions, perceptions and practices of inclusive education in schools in Karnataka (India): moving beyond normative prescriptions and blame-game. International Journal of Inclusive Education
Dr. Bhushan Punani is at present working as General Secretary of the Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad, one of the most leading disability development NGOs in the country. He is also Vice President of the International Council for Education of Persons with Visual Impairment (ICEVI), Global, which is registered as a Non-Profit Company in U.K. He also provided his honorary services as President of National Abilympics Association of India during 2014-2018. He joined BPA after completing his Post Graduate Diploma in Business Management (SPA) from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and completed his LL.B as well as PhD from Gujarat University and a Course in Vocation Rehabilitation from Haifa University, Israel. He has worked as a member of a number of national level committees, including the one that drafted national legislation for India. He is also a member of the Central Advisory Board as per provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee on Accessible Elections appointed by the Election Commission of India. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee of the Awareness Scheme under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Govt of India. He is also working as Additional Director of the Gujarat Tea Packers and Processors Pvt. Ltd (Wagh Bakri Tea); Independent Director of TorchIt Pvt. Ltd. as well as Harsha Engineers International. Recently, he was conferred the National Leadership IIM Lucknow Singhania Award as well National Accessible Voting Award – both awards presented by former H E President of India, Shri Ram Kovind. He was also honoured with the Distinguished Alumnus Award of Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad.
Susie L. Gronseth, Ph.D., is Clinical Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction in the College of Education at the University of Houston (Houston, Texas, USA). Through interdisciplinary research and community engagement initiatives, she provides expertise in applications of learning technologies, instructional design and evaluation, health sciences education, and inclusive educational frameworks.
These frameworks strategically address diverse learner needs in online, face-to-face, and blended contexts. She has received recognition for her course design, teaching, and university leadership, including the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Online Learning Network Award, the University of Houston Teaching Excellence Award, the Indiana University School of Education Distinguished Alumni Award, and University of Houston Faculty Senate President. She co-edited Universal Access Through Inclusive Instructional Design: International Perspectives on UDL, which addresses inclusive instructional foundations, policies, design approaches, technology applications, accessibility challenges, curricular quality issues, research, and case studies from around the world.
Dr. Namita Jacob is an adviser to several national & international organizations and universities in the areas of sensory impairments, multiple disabilities & early childhood development. She is program director of Chetana Trust, Chennai which pioneers unique evidence-based solutions to issues in access to learning among people with disabilities in India.
Her significant contributions span diverse fields of work including vision, deafblindness, assistive technology and early childhood. As the Senior Regional Education Specialist for Perkins she led the development of services for infants and children who are deafblind or have vision impairment and additional disabilities through the Asia Pacific Region and beyond. She has authored several books, book chapters and research papers. Dr. Jacob designs and develops services at the community level, within hospitals, schools and orphanages across the world and helped establish some of the earliest comprehensive services for children with complex sensory impairment in India.
Dr. Mustapha Aabi is a Professor at Ibn Zohr University in Agadir, Morocco. With over 15 years of experience as an education consultant in the MENA region, Dr. Aabi has held various leadership roles within international educational entities.
He has taught courses in Education and Linguistics across the UK, the Middle East, and Morocco. Currently, he serves as the Horizon Europe Programme NCP for Cluster 2: Culture, Creativity and Inclusive Society, as well as Cluster 3: Civil Security for Society. His research interests encompass the humanities and social sciences, and he has actively collaborated with researchers from diverse academic backgrounds on topics at the intersection of education, linguistics, and culture.
Arman Ali, Executive Director, National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) With over two decades of influencing inclusive legislation, He champions for disability rights in India. He has served in advisory and editorial roles with government bodies and private organizations. An alumnus of IVLP, he has also undergone Leadership Training in Public Policy by Oxford University. He currently serves as Executive Director of NCPEDP.
His brainchild, a first of it’s kind Fellowship for Youth with Disabilities was launched in 2021. In 2023, he pushed NHRC, Insurance stakeholders and disability cohort to realize half-baked launch of stand health insurance product for PwDs having highly variable intercompany premium rates and inaccessible delivery. Recently, his efforts translated into major political parties accepting demands from manifesto developed by NCPEDP. His diversified leadership roles have pushed him on the mission for a world where no one is left behind. A recipient of the National Award for the Most Efficient Disabled Employee, 1998 by MSJE, He continues to see disability as an investment.
Dr. Seán Bracken is a Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in the U.K. He is Doctoral Programme Lead for the College of Education, Humanities and the Arts at the University of Worcester, where he teaches on the PG Cert for Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, and where he also contributes to the PG Cert in Research Methods for the Doctoral Programme.
Seán is chair and co-founder of INCLUDE (the International Collaboratory for Leadership in Universally Designed Education), a transnational research and professional enhancement network of learners, teachers and service providers who are dedicated to overcoming barriers to learning at all stages of the lifelong learning journey. Along with colleagues within the network, Seán has recently established the International Journal for Universal Design and Universal Design for Learning (IJUDUDL). Additionally, he leads the University of Worcester’s Inclusion by Design research group, which by anticipating learner diversity and by constructing inclusive social, technological and spatial learning environments, aims to strengthen access and achievement through development of inclusive curriculum and assessment design. In his learning, teaching, and research endeavors, Seán draws on a rich tapestry of cross-cultural experiences garnered over 30 years of service as a teacher, teacher educator, and educational consultant in primary, secondary, and higher education contexts.
Dr. Aqsa Shaikh (She/Her) is an out and proud transgender woman. She is one of India’s First Transgender Doctors. She is a Professor of Community Medicine at Hamdard Institute of Medical Sciences and Research, Jamia Hamdard, Delhi.
Aqsa is an academician and researcher. She is part of iHEAR initiative at Sangath India which undertakes research and project implementation for inclusion of Transgender and Disability community in healthcare sector. Aqsa is a vocal advocate for rights-based Gender Justice for Transgender persons. She speaks, writes, and advocates for Trans Rights in India and Globally. Aqsa successfully petitioned Delhi Commission for Protection of child rights to pass orders on banning unnecessary sex normalizing surgeries on intersex children. She was responsible for making Toilet signages inclusive at Delhi Metro Stations. She also serves as Section Editor of PLOS Global Public Health and Indian Journal of Medical Ethics. She is a Proud Transgender Woman and works on LGBTQIA+ rights, Rights of Persons with Disability, and Mental Health. She has a keen interest in Medical Ethics, Medical Humanities, and Medical Education Technology. She is a TEDx Speaker, a poet and practitioner of Theatre of Oppressed.
Deborah (Debbie) Gleason is Senior Advisor, International at Perkins School for the Blind. Debbie has more than four decades of global experience providing leadership and support to build the capacity of local organizations, training teachers, advocating for national-level policy change, and collaborating across sectors to support organizations in expanding access to education and services for children with disabilities.
She is skilled at applying technical skills across cultural contexts and adapting strategies to support children with complex disabilities. An established thought leader with dozens of publications and international presentations, her work informs and advances inclusive development and has transformed the lives of generations of children. Debbie’s career has focused on helping children with complex disabilities around the world learn and thrive, claiming their rightful place as valued members of a family, school, and community. “Children—and their parents and teachers—have always been my best teachers.”
Ms. Manjushree Patil is the Founder Director of Aatman Academy, a nationally recognized inclusive learning program for children with diverse learning needs. Under her leadership, the academy has been ranked among the top ten alternative schools in India for seven consecutive years and certified as a Great Place to Work. A three-time TEDx Speaker, she is also a recipient of the Americans with Disabilities Act Anniversary Fellowship on Inclusive Education and the prestigious Fulbright Distinguished Awards International Fellowship. With over three decades of experience in education, Ms. Patil has significantly impacted inclusive education, working with the Government of Maharashtra and serving as Country Director for Think Equal (UK). A qualified special educator, she has developed the CHILD Course on Inclusive Education, reaching practitioners globally. Additionally, Ms. Patil is a trained Hindustani classical vocalist with notable performances, including at the Kala Ghoda Festival and the Khajuraho Dance Festival.
Lisa Mauro-Bracken, MPH Population and Family Health, Columbia University New York, PG Cert. Learning and Teaching Higher Education, Fellow Higher Education Academy.
Lisa is currently the Head of Department of Health and Well-being and a Principal Lecturer in Health and Social Care at the University of Worcester.
Prior to joining the University in 2010, Lisa worked with asylum seekers and refugees in Ireland as well as providing guidance and advice to the Department of Justice and Equality and the Health Services Executive on working inclusively with individuals, families, and communities from a variety of backgrounds. She has also worked in international global health, providing support to women and children in various Pacific Island Nations. Her experiences as an academic have been influenced by her public health background, emphasizing the need for understanding, appreciation, and respect for diversity and inclusive practice.
Sushama Nagarkar has her Doctorate in Special Education from the University of Missouri and is a nationally certified school psychologist in the US. Ten years ago, Sushama and her daughter returned to India after spending 15 years in the US where she worked as a psychologist in the public schools. In 2014, she set up Yash Charitable Trust, an NGO with the vision that persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities will live and work in the community of their choice with dignity and self-respect. She works in an honorary capacity as the Managing Trustee. Being that she is a parent of an adult with autism, Sushama brings to her work a rather unique perspective of walking the walk and not just talking the talk. Sushama considers herself a life-long student of Yoga. Other interests include reading, trekking and the outdoors.
Dr. Rinchen Dorji is the Pro Vice Chancellor of Academic and Research at the Royal University. Prior to this, he successfully served as the President of Samtse College of Education under the Royal University of Bhutan.
Rinchen began his career as a schoolteacher and has been a teacher educator for over two decades. He has held multiple leadership roles, including Programme Leader of the Bachelor of Education (Secondary), Dean of Research and Industrial Linkages, and Project Manager of the Support to Teacher Education Project (STEP) funded by Helvetas Swiss Development Corporation from 2003 to 2007. Additionally, he was the Programme Coordinator of the Part-Time Master of Education in Educational Leadership and Management, funded by the Canadian International Development Cooperation (CIDA) at Paro College of Education. He also worked as a Curriculum Officer at the Office of the Vice Chancellor, the secretariat office of the Royal University of Bhutan.
Rinchen holds a BA in Arts (English Honours) from Sherubtse College at Kanglung in Bhutan (1995) and an MEd in Human Development & Counselling from the University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, Canada (2002). He also earned an MA in Special Educational Needs from a consortium of European universities, including the University of Roehampton, London, Fontys University of Applied Sciences, Tilburg, The Netherlands, and Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic (2007). He completed his PhD at the University of New England (UNE), Armidale, New South Wales, Australia (2017), focusing on inclusive education.
Dr. Rinchen is passionate about academic discourses and research in mindfulness, meditation, spirituality, teacher morale and motivation, teacher empowerment, students and parents in education, educational leadership, inclusive education, and disability studies.
Dr.Shyamala Dalvi is a psychologist and a special educator. She has been working in the field of education for over 30 years. She has done Masters in Psychology and in Special education followed by a Doctorate in Inclusive Education.
She began as a Master trainer at the S.N.D.T University, training pre service teachers and conducting psycho educational assessment for a period of eight years.
She has worked in schools for over ten years leading the process of including children with disabilities into the mainstream.
She is a resource person for inclusive education at the National council for education research and training(NCERT). For the Maharashtra State Government she was a part of the advisory committee and master trainer for school assessment and accreditation.
She has worked and continues to support various projects of UNICEF including inclusive education, early childhood education and FLN in Maharashtra since 2016.
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Dr. Julia Lindley-Baker is a mother, wife, feminist, and advocate for individual rights. She currently coordinates and teaches on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Special Educational Needs, Disability and Inclusion (SENDI) at Bishop Grosseteste University, UK.
Having originally trained as a special needs teacher with a focus on the primary age range, she has taught and held senior leadership positions in various settings, always with a special education focus. She also has extensive experience delivering inset and CPD for teachers and teaching assistants, locally, nationally, and internationally. Dr. Lindley-Baker is recognized as a Senior Fellow by the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA). Her research interests include leadership wellbeing, inclusive approaches, and adapted pedagogy for diverse needs. Publications in progress include works on teaching complex needs and flexi-schooling.
Tamar Apel Campo was born in Cuba where she became a friend of mathematics. From there on she has been striving to make this friendship accessible to all. This is her mission. To accomplish it, she took academic studies and did research on the topic.
Writing her PhD thesis presenting a new methodology of qualitative research in mathematics education based on a humanistic approach was one of the results of widening her angle of vision, enabling her to provide an innovative approach to math teaching. She lectures in Spanish, English, and Hebrew and supports the LTM Program designed by her for Special Students in Mumbai since 2006.
Dr. Daniel is deeply committed to advancing research in the field of education, with a particular focus on teacher professional development, inclusive education, and the development and testing of reading programs for pupils, including those at-risk of learning difficulties such as dyslexia.
With a wealth of expertise, Dr. Daniel has been part of research projects aimed at enhancing reading comprehension skills, inference making abilities, and addressing factors such as anxiety management that impact student outcomes. Among his current projects, Dr. Daniel is engaged in the creation of open educational reading programs specifically designed for primary school students with reading disabilities. He is also actively involved in exploring the identification processes for students with dyslexia within the United Kingdom, as well as utilizing large national pupil databases to gain comprehensive insights into educational trends and outcomes for students with special educational needs. Furthermore, Dr. Daniel is currently collaborating with researchers in India, England, and Taiwan to conduct a comparative study that seeks to understand the knowledge of preservice teachers about early reading instruction
Dr. Joanne Banks is a lecturer and researcher in inclusive education at the School of Education in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland. Joanne’s research interests are in the field of inclusive education and educational inequality.
She has published widely on special and inclusive education policy and practice, school exclusion, and student diversity. Dr. Banks is also the presenter and author of the ‘Inclusion Dialogue’ podcast series and books.
Dr. Eleonora Palmieri is the Director of Psychological and Pedagogical Victor Center Macerata (Italy) involved in dyslexia, dyspraxia, autism according to the Crispiani Method practices and Director of FIDI Academy School. She is a clinical psychologist, pedagogist, and Itard Specialist.
She is interested in special pedagogy and neurodevelopment disorders (language, motor, perception). She has been involved in international projects as a trainer (Singapore, Mumbai, Hong Kong, Poland, Malaysia) and often attends as an expert speaker at International Conferences. She has developed and coordinated partnerships with many experts in different countries, including universities (Poland, England, Spain, Hong Kong, Singapore, Dubai), training organizations, research centers, and pedagogical advice for teachers and parents. She is the author with Prof. Piero Crispiani of Champion Pressing, Special Intensive Practices of Cognitive Motor Training by Istituto Itard, collana Les sauvages; she has also realized a Video Motor Training Itard, and is the author of many articles and the Working Method of Champion LIRM (Intensive Reading and Motor Speed).
Dr. Lena Varuna Wuntke is a researcher and educator in Special Educational Needs and Inclusion at the University of Greifswald, Germany. She has a background in primary and secondary education and has experience teaching in Germany and the UK.
Her current teaching focuses on learning, language, and emotional-social development within the SENDI framework. Dr. Wuntke’s research delves into multi-modal support systems that enhance inclusion for individuals with emotional-social and learning difficulties. Additionally, she is passionate about the professional development of teachers and the internationalization of teacher education.
Prof. Elizabeth Dalton has worked in special needs education in Rhode Island schools since 1976, specializing in technology applications for persons with disabilities. After earning a Ph.D. in Education, she was awarded a post-doctoral fellowship in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) Leadership at Boston College and CAST in 2010 to research and teach UDL and inclusive education.
Prof. Dalton developed and taught special education and assistive technology courses at RI College, URI & CCRI, coordinated assistive technology programs for the Paul V. Sherlock Center on Developmental Disabilities, co-founded the TechACCESS of Rhode Island and the Assistive Technology Conference of New England. Currently, Dr. Dalton is an inclusive education consultant for Dalton Education Services International (DESI), specializing in UDL, technology, and curriculum development. She is widely published in UDL and inclusive education and has trained teachers in UDL strategies in Brunei, South Africa, Namibia, Kuwait, Tanzania, India, and the USA, and helps lead the online INCLUDE Collaboratory, emphasizing the importance of context to UDL implementation and systemic change.
Richard Rose is Professor Emeritus of Inclusive Education at the University of Northampton. Richard trained as a teacher in Bristol before completing post-graduate studies at the Universities of Bristol, East Anglia, and Leicester where he gained his doctorate.
Prior to joining the University of Northampton, Richard worked as a tutor for the Universities of Birmingham and Leicester. Richard’s research interests are in the areas of inclusive education and children’s rights. He was the Principal Investigator on a project investigating knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards children with disabilities in Bhutan, funded by UNICEF. He is also the director of Project IRIS, a longitudinal study into special educational provision in the Republic of Ireland. Richard has conducted research for research councils, charitable trusts, and government organizations in the UK, China, Estonia, Malaysia, Malta, Ireland, Georgia, and India. He is currently supervising PhD students from both the UK and overseas exploring various aspects of inclusion and children’s rights.
