Inclusive Education. Real Impact.

A Ph.D. in Special Education, M.A. in Clinical Psychology, M.A. in Education Preeti Verma is an acclaimed educationist, special educator, researcher and clinical psychologist with over three decades of experience in higher education, inclusive services, and mental health. As the founder of Adira: Center for Disability Management, Inclusion & Empowerment, she brings a lifetime of expertise to the mission of dismantling barriers and fostering an inclusive society where diversity is celebrated.Before founding Adira, she held several prestigious leadership roles at SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai. Her contributions there included: Professor & Head of the Department of Special Education. Associate Dean for the Faculty of Interdisciplinary Studies, Director of the Internal Quality Assurance Cell (IQAC), where she focused on institutional excellence and quality enhancement. Chairperson, Internal Complaint Committee, Member Academic Council and Chairperson of the Board of Studies. She began her career as a Clinical Psychologist in Mumbai and Kolkata. Her dedication to the field earned her the prestigious Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship to Australia. Her commitment to the community extends to numerous advisory and consultant roles, including: Educational Consultant for the Victoria Memorial School for the Blind, Mumbai, Muskan Foundation and the Nirmala Institute of Education, Goa. Collaborated with organizations like Disha – A Resource Centre for Multiple Disabilities, Jaipur. She has been nominated on boards of various Government institutions, Private universities and organisations, Statutory bodies in the field of education, rehabilitation and special education.Today, through Adira, she leads a team of specialists to provide evidence-based interventions, customized training, and professional development courses—such as Short term profession development courses in Learning Disability, Inclusive education , Assessments, Play Therapy, Social Emotional Learning, Research Methodology etc. The Shadow Teacher Certification—to ensure that disability is viewed not as a limitation, but as a source of strength and social progress is most sought after. Women who have children with special needs, individuals who want to embark on their second innings and want to make a positive contribution to the society as well as young people who wish to work within the disability sector have all been empowered by this course.

Hemali Gada is a Special Educator, Assistant Professor, Researcher, and inclusion practitioner with extensive experience in special and inclusive education, higher education teaching, curriculum development, and disability support systems. With over a decade of experience in the field, her work spans teaching, academic research, training, program coordination, and the development of inclusive educational frameworks for learners with diverse needs.She has worked across multiple academic and institutional settings, contributing to the preparation of future educators through her role as a Visiting Assistant Professor at SNDT Women’s University, where she teaches courses related to inclusive education, learning disabilities, and educational psychology. She was also associated with TCS iON GameLab as a Consultant, where she contributes to the design and development of gamified learning and educational tools aimed at enhancing student engagement and learning outcomes.

Ms Minaz Ajani has a Masters in Special Ed (LD),P.G.DIP in Counselling Psychology. She is a faculty member of Breakthroughs International (House of Brain Gym program),Brain Gym ®️, Touch For Health™️ proficient & Instructor , Movement Based learning™️ Teacher Trainer ,RMTi Instructor and Consultant , Audiblox tutor ,Handwriting without tears and NILD's Search and Teach certified specialist .She is also an NLC Learning Specialist, Life Skills and FIE Teacher with 20+ years of overall experience. She conducts workshops for training teachers, parents, and students. She has developed the social skill curriculum for Kangaroo Kids Education for grades 1-12.

Antara Choudhury is a dedicated professional in the field of inclusive education, currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Special Education and the Programme Coordinator for the M.Ed. Special Education (ODL) at Netaji Subhas Open University (NSOU). With over two decades of experience in teacher training and special education, she holds a diverse academic background including an M.A. in Sociology and an M.Ed. in Special Education, and a Ph.D. from SNDT Women’s University. At NSOU, she further contributes as the Coordinator of the NEP Cell and the Assistant Programme Coordinator for the Centre for Disability Studies and Educational Research (CDSER). She has also completed P.G Diploma in Health Statistics from All India Institute of Hygiene & Public Health and attended Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on Enhancing Teacher Education offered by TESS India & U.K. University and ICT Integration in Higher Education offered by S. N. D.T Women’s University, Mumbai.Antara is deeply involved in policy and curriculum development, serving as a member of the State Focus Group for the National Curriculum Framework and acting as a resource person for SCERT, West Bengal, on position papers regarding Inclusive Education and Teacher Education. Her research focuses on critical areas of inclusion, including ongoing projects on Universal Design for Learning (UDL) and previous work on managing learning disabilities and assessing teacher awareness of intellectual disabilities. Beyond her academic and research roles, she serves on various expert committees for the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI) and boards of studies across several prestigious universities, reflecting her commitment to advancing the standards of rehabilitation and special education.

Archana Bhatnagar is an accomplished academician, researcher, and ergonomics specialist with over three decades of experience in teaching, research, and academic leadership at SNDT Women’s University, Mumbai, where she served as Professor and Head of the Post Graduate Department of Family Resource Management. In addition to research and teaching, she has held several academic leadership roles including I/C Dean, Academic Council Member, Senate Member, and Chairperson of the Board of Studies.Her work reflects strong interdisciplinary applications of ergonomics across built environments, workplaces, consumer products, and sustainable systems. She holds a Ph.D. in Family Resource Management and her research interests include ergonomics, consumer ergonomics, environmental design, interior design, consumer behaviour, and product development. Her research has focused on improving human comfort, efficiency, safety, and well-being through ergonomic interventions in diverse sectors.Her contributions span workplace ergonomics including corporate offices, packaging industries, flight kitchens, and computer-based workstations, emphasizing productivity enhancement and risk reduction. She has also worked extensively in- built environment ergonomics, covering ergonomic assessment of staircases, children’s libraries, kitchens for physically challenged users, school furniture, and open kitchen layouts. Her research further extends to consumer and product ergonomics, including space design for special children including furniture design, mobile phone usability, VDT workspace design, and user-cantered product development.Archana Bhatnagar has also contributed significantly to environmental and sustainability ergonomics, with studies on thermal comfort in buildings, green campus initiatives, eco-friendly interior materials, and sustainable consumption behaviour. Her research portfolio additionally includes agricultural ergonomics, women workers’ material handling, footwear and gait analysis, and physical fitness assessment. Her work demonstrates a sustained commitment to applying ergonomics for enhancing human performance, inclusive design, sustainability, and improved quality of life across multiple professional and community settings through awareness programs and offers consultancy services too.

A Disability Expert Dr Gargi p Sinha has developed and published an Equitable Inclusive Schooling model based on NEP 20. Worked in close association with Government and non-Government bodies in introducing Bachelors of Special Education colleges in the state of Goa first for Nirmala Institute of Education, Goa then for Dnyanvardhini Divyang Training College ,Sanjay Centre For Special Education, Goa.Besides her teaching assignments, she works as an educational Consultant in Special School and Inclusive Schools and Independent Living Centres to promulgate Dignity for People with Disabilities and fructify equity based inclusive education model aligned in the vision of NEP 20 . Dr Gargi has been awarded Goa Star Women Award 2023 for her work in Divyang Category. She has ReShaped and structured Sunshine Smile, an NGO to establish equity in inclusive schools and has been advisor in planning, executing and monitoring alternative schooling and resource room infrastructure to facilitate inclusive education in the State of Goa. She has initiated and implemented projects on inclusivity at SSA and ICSSR and has worked as resource persons for State Commissioners Office of Disabilities, SSA, Navodya Leadership Institute ,IGNOU, Madan Mohan Malviya Mission ,and several schools and colleges in Goa.Her research papers are published in UGC Care and peer reviewed journals and has written chapters in books. ‍

Mahika is an architect with a master’s in Sustainability Studies. Her architectural experience includes institutional, residential and landscaping projects. She believes that design must stand the test of time which can be achieved through a focus on accessibility, materials and techniques.‍