Research Projects

Teaching is not all about imparting knowledge, but also about inspiring change. Learning is not all about absorbing facts, but also about acquiring understanding. These thoughts keep us motivated as teachers. To support teaching and learning, we opened a 24X7 efficient, WIFI-enabled library in the Saraswati camp slum of Munirka Village, Delhi. We used the principles of inclusive design to build a road from slum to the library. We also incorporated Building as a Learning Aid principles to promote learning through built spaces.

The library is named “BAMBI” (meaning an anthill) as it shows the struggle, perseverance, patience, dedication, hope, and hard work needed for success. Ants are a small creatures but they are full of inspiration. Similarly, the BAMBI library is not only a center for books, but it can helps children to learn and also inspire them to enact change.

Our team of volunteers are from different disciplines and visit the library daily to teach the slum children. They provide classes such as Math, Science, Fine Arts, spoken English, Computers, and Health and Hygiene. Additionally, there are evening classes for women to learn the basics of Hindi and English literature, but also to develop understanding about indigenous art history. This process will help us in making a group of skilled labor who will create artifacts and crafts, and this will further lead to dignified employment and economy generation for them.

Audited/Assessed, and evaluated Buildings for accessibility compliance for 12 State Government funded Universities of Maharashtra (Mumbai University Kalina and fort campus, Pune University, Jalgaon University, Nanded University, SNDT Juhu and Churchgate campuses in Mumbai, Nashik University, Nagpur University, Aurangabad University, Solapur University, Amravati University, Gokhale Institute-Pune, and Deccan College-Pune).

I conducted disability awareness and sensitization sessions for Vice-Chancellor, Registrar, Deans, Teaching and non-teaching Staff and Students. Conducted activity based evaluation, hands-on workshops and on-site training for engineers and staff of Estate department. These trainings focused around disability, disability-related design needs and using universal design to promote an inclusive university environment.

This project was conceived and executed by the I-Access Rights Mission, a Field Action Project of the Centre for Disability Studies and Action at Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai in collaboration with the Directorate of Higher Education, Government of Maharashtra.

The project aims to review the World Bank Project for Rehabilitation and Inclusion of people with disabilities in the state of Tamil Nadu. Further, it provided detailed recommendations to strengthen the service delivery mechanism for people with disabilities in Tamil Nadu.

This project includes strengthening the three-tier system to ensure decentralization of service delivery, creating inter-departmental cohesion (horizontally as well as vertically), and converging all the disability-related schemes under one roof.

I conducted a policy analysis, prepared detailed reports, created infographics and supported in preparing concise tip sheets for government stakeholders.

Through this approach, we will be able to ensure ease of access for the timely delivery of services and support for people with disabilities even in remote areas.

Analyzed issues of people with disabilities, and planned needs-based intervention.

●I conducted capacity building training for Anganwadi (primary healthcare unit within community) teachers on disability identification and intervention.

● I mobilized people with disabilities for their rehabilitation through medical camps, sensitization and awareness camps in the slums of Vashi Naka, Mumbai.

● I along with my team networked with different stakeholders of government institutions, for example- Bombay Municipal Corporation, Samagra Shiksha Abhiyaan (Department of Inclusive Education), Election Commission, Department of Social Justice, and Empowerment for the rehabilitation of people with disabilities.

● While working closely with the clients, I assisted them in connecting to different hospitals and organizations for rehabilitation.

● As a facilitator, I worked on building-capacity of Anganwadi teachers and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, school teachers, and village rehabilitation workers, to identify people with disabilities, and plan interventions, and rehabilitation strategies.

● Along with my team of 7 student social workers, I conducted a baseline survey about people with disabilities and their rehabilitation needs. This survey covered 42 villages in Kalaburagi district.

● We collected and analyzed data, and developed an action plan in the three-tier system for effective implementation of Government rehabilitation programs for people with disabilities.

● We used logical framework analysis and evaluated government programs and prepared a roadmap for future actions.

I documented temples at Bhojpur and Udeshwara, Madhya Pradesh, as a part of the team from the School of Planning and Architecture, Bhopal. I measured and prepared detailed drawings of the temples and its different architectural elements.

This project was headed by Ms. Anita Kanekar from Wales School of Architecture, Cardiff University, United Kingdom.