George Baroff | Dr. Prabjyot Malhi | Dr. Usha Grover | V.R.P. Sheilaja Rao | Dr. Gregory F. Aloia | Rangasamy Ramasamy | Dr. Jayanthi Narayan | Sudha Kaul | Dr. Vibha Krishnamurthy | Dr. K. VijayRaghavan | Dr. John Stone | Mr. Akhil S Paul | Cecilie MacKinnon | Dr. Asish Kumar Mukherjee | Dr. Flora Tassone | Randi Hagerman | Dr. Sumantra Chattarji | Shalini Kedia | Ms. Reena Bhandari | Dr.V.Viswanathan | Mythily Chari | Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo (Retd.) | Dr. Shariqua Yunus | Dr. Nandini Mundkur | J. P. Gadkari | Dr. Patricia Champion |
Mythily Chari
Mythily Chari, holds a Masters Degree in Education and Education Specialist degree from University of Florida(UF),USA and has been working in India since 1988. She is the founder trustee of Commandur Foundation is a not for profit Public Charitable Trust registered vide Registration Number 509/IV/2005. The Foundation runs two institutions namely; Institute for Remedial Intervention Services (IRIS) and Institute for Promotion of Occupational Health and Safety in Construction (IPOHSIC).
Mythily has been holding innumerable training programs for parents and professionals on various aspects, the website www.autismindia lists all the activities taken up and is updated from time to time. She is a well respected leader in the field and has a pan-Indian presence. She is an expert member in the Rehabilitation Council of India. She has represented India in the World Congress on Autism held in Cape Town, South Africa in 2006.
Based on clinical work numbering nearly 300 children(families) she published a book Autism Diagnosis and After, the first book to be written on this subject in India. The book is dedicated to parents and families caring for children with autism. The review of the book has appeared in the Journal Book Review, Oct, 2005, New Delhi. The Telugu translation of the book is complete awaiting publication subject to sponsorship.
Her second book, 'Education of Children with Autism in Regular Schools', meant as a resource for teachers; regular and special, is under way.
Mythily is a Rotarian, her specialization being Rehabilitation of the special child.
Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo (Retd.)
Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo (Retd.), AVSM, SM, Chairman of RCI, was commissioned into the 5th Gorkha Rifles (FF) in June 1958. He has taken part in the Sino-Indian war of 1962 and the Indo-Pak wars of 1965 and 1971. As a young Major he was severely injured in battle after being dropped behind enemy lines in the Indian Army's first heliborne operation. In the fighting that followed, he was grievously wounded due to a mine-blast as a consequence of which his left leg had to be amputated. After nearly a year in hospital he rehabilitated himself and convinced Army Headquarters that he could perform as well as anybody else. Undaunted by his handicap, he subsequently commanded a battalion, brigade and division, in operational areas setting a precedent for other war disabled officers and resulting in a change of policy at Army Headquarters with regard to the future of war disabled officers.
He was the first cadet to be awarded both the gold and silver Medal at the National Defence Academy, Khadakwasla, the first to be awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on a patrol on the Sino-Indian border in 1960, and the first disabled officer to be approved for command of an infantry battalion. He was Colonel of the Regiment of 5 GR (FF). He retired as Chief of Staff of a corps in the Eastern Sector. He is a social activist, author and military historian. His book, "Param Vir: Our Heroes in Battle", and the "Sinking of INS Khukri" have received both critical and popular acclaim. He is presently Chairman of the Rehabilitation Council of India, Vice President of the War Wounded Foundation and member of the Council of the United Service Institution of India and of 'Action for Ability. Development and Inclusion' an NGO working for persons with disability.
Dr Shariqua Yunus
Dr Shariqua Yunus, graduated in medicine from the Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, Aligarh in 2000 and subsequently did her post graduation in Community Medicine from the same college in 2005.
She has worked as a Senior Resident for a year in the same department teaching under-graduate students, assisting research and conducting health camps for the underprivileged. She has also worked on an assignment for the ASHA project under NRHM with the training division, MOHFW, GOI.
Presently she is working as Consultant for Nutrition and is based at the Office of the WHO Representative to India, New Delhi.
She also has to her credit four research papers in various national and international journals.
Her main areas of interest are maternal and child health, infant and young child feeding and disease epidemiology.
Dr Nandini Mundkur
Dr Nandini Mundkur, is the Director, Center for Child Development & Disabilities, Malleswaram, Bangalore. She has been actively involved as a specialist in early detection and management of management of disabilities in children.
She has been an invited member of the National and State of Karnataka planning body for children. She is also an executive member of Child Rights Commission (CRC). She has received several honors and awards for her work. She has recently authored the book ' Handbook on learning disabilities in children, 2005'. She ha salso several other books and articles published in international and nation journals.
She developed an assessment and intervention kit for early detection of disabilities in children, standardized and used by many Pediatricians in the country and also conducted an on-line course on Learning disorders in children for Indegene (company involved in health informatics.)
She has also been involved in the WHO TeleT.B. program for 7 Bangalore rural districts of Karnataka, 5 C'S Cohort action research project on the first three years of life for Abhivridi Trust 2000 to 2003 and started the first Computer-related injury clinic for Hewlett Packard Bangaore, 2001.
J. P. Gadkari
J. P. Gadkari, is an active journalist since nearly 35 years.
He has served in various capacities in Karnataka Parents' Association for Mentally Retarded Citizens [KPAMRC] and currently is its Hon. Secretary. Presently he also is the President of Parivaar - National Federation of Parents' Associations (For Persons with Mental Handicap, Cerebral Palsy, Autism and Multiple Disabilities).
In the past he has been member on the Central Executive Committee under the Persons with Disabilities Act 1995, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India. He has been the Convenor of Karnataka State Coordination Committee for persons with mental retardation, cerebral palsy, autism and multiple disabilities.
He has written papers on various subjects relating to disability and the disabled - from legislations and schemes concerning them to parents' concerns, creating awareness and forming a national policy on disability.
