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Dr. Suja. K. Kunnath is currently the Executive Director at the National Institute of Speech and Hearing (NISH). She is also the Director (I/C), Center for Assistive Technology and Innovation, NISH. She is the Chairman Board of Studies in Rehabilitation Sciences, Kerala University of Health Sciences. She is the Head, Department of Neurodevelopmental Sciences, NISH. She has been teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Speech-Language Pathology for the last 24 years. Besides being a Professor, she is also a registered practitioner under the Rehabilitation Council of India. She was one of the members of the Expert Committee, Right of persons with Disabilities Act 2016, Department of Social Justice, Government of Kerala, India.
Professor Reena Tiwari is a Senior Fellow of the Advanced Higher Education Academy (UK) and Fellow of the Curtin Academy. Prof. Tiwari is the former Head of Department Architecture and Interior Architecture, has been the Director of International Cooperation Research Cluster at Curtin University and an executive committee member for Urban Development Institute of Australia, Urban Design Institute of Australia and the Society of Architectural Historians, Australia and New Zealand. Reena has been a Visiting Professor and Scholar at University of California, Berkeley. She also teaches at University of Catalunya, Barcelona in their Masters Program on Regenerating Urban Landscapes. She has a continuing involvement in the International Cooperation Program which is run by the European Union under the prestigious Erasmus Mundus umbrella and supported by UNESCO and UN Habitat.
As a scholar in space psychology, heritage and place-making, she has explored the intersections of VR/AR with these fields. She has undertaken digital cultural preservation work and has led the development of MissionsConnect which is the first immersive technological tool of its kind in Australia effective for education, truth-telling, social inclusion and reconciliation.
Dr. Veena Shenoy is the Founder and CEO of Inclusiv, a social impact startup committed to building barrier-free, sustainable, and inclusive environments for persons with disabilities and senior citizens. With a global mission at its core, Inclusiv works to embed accessibility into the heart of infrastructure, systems, and policy. She currently serves as the State President for the Karnataka Sustainable Development Goals Council under the Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WICCI) and as the State Chair of the Diversity and Inclusion Wing of G100. In both roles, she actively champions equity, accessibility, and social justice across sectors. With nearly two decades of cross-sectoral experience spanning industry, academia, research, and consultancy, she brings a rich and nuanced perspective to inclusive design and policy. She holds a Ph.D. from the National Institute of Technology Karnataka (NITK), Surathkal, is a gold medalist in Masters from Pune University, and a proud alumna of St. Agnes College, Mangalore.
Her thought leadership and dedication have earned national and international recognition. She was selected as an Inclusion Fellow by the India Inclusion Foundation in 2023, representing India on the global stage. She is also a member of the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) and a sought-after TEDx speaker, inspiring action towards a more equitable and accessible society.
Professor Gaurav Raheja is a well-known accessibility and universal design consultant from India and a Professor of architecture at IIT Roorkee. Also, a copyright co author of Universal Design India Principles. Worked on some prestigious projects as Accessibility Consultant (under Accessible India Campaign) to Govt. of India for Prime Minister's Office, New Delhi Railway station, IGI Airport, New Delhi, Central Secretariat.
Felicitated and appointed as DAAD Research Ambassador for South Asia & India. Received DAAD and International Fellowships for Visiting Researcher/Scholar at Technical University of Darmstadt (2016), T U Berlin (2017, 2019) and University of Duisburg, Germany(2016).
Interested in Design Thinking, Social Inclusion, Universal Design, Children & Aging futures, Urban sustainability, Human Centric Design, Contemporary World Architecture, Design Pedagogy, Social & Design Research Methods, Visual Communication, Photo essays & Story Telling.
Dr. Haimanti Banerji is a Professor in the Department of Architecture and Regional Planning and the Associate Dean of Continuing Education and Outreach at IIT Kharagpur. Principal Coordinator, QIP, AICTE and the Deputy Team Leader, Centre of Excellence in Urban Planning & Design at IIT Kharagpur by MoHUA, Government of India.
She has more than 20 years of working experience with the vulnerable groups in urban Indian context. She is one of the authors of Universal Design India Principles © NID, 2011 and empanelled with the Dept. of Empowerment of Person with Disability, MSJE as Accessibility Auditor. She is actively involved in mainstreaming inclusion in the domain of urban planning and development along with UN-Habitat and NIUA. Dr. Banerji is also engaged in the Global Housing Technology Challenge (GHTC), an initiative by Govt. of India to provide ‘Housing for All’ in various capacities. Her recent international academic collaborations include Indiana University of Pennsylvania and MIT, USA and Hokkaido University.
Deepa Palaniappan is a Disability Inclusive Development professional, working as Consultant with the Office of Disability Inclusion and Reasonable Accommodations at Azim Premji University, and currently serving as a Distinguished Fellow at Kalam Institute of Health Technology , WHO Collaboration Centre under Ministry of Biotechnology, since June 2024.
She served as consultant for the World Health Organization, HQ Disability Unit at Geneva (two consecutive assignments), as well as for World Bank for TN RIGHTS project with Government of Tamilnadu. During my tenure with WHO HQ Disability unit. She was part of the team that developed the Global Report on Health Equity for Persons with Disabilities (2022).
During her tenure as State Disability consultant for Rural livelihood mission programme in Bihar she developed the Disability Inclusion Guideline, implemented since 2020.
Dr. S. K. Mahapatra is a dedicated orthopedic surgeon with a strong vision to enhance mobility, independence, and quality of life for individuals with musculoskeletal challenges. He completed his MBBS from VSS Medical College, Burla (now known as VIMSAR), and his DNB in Orthopedics from the National Board of Examination, New Delhi, as well as his Fellowship in Joint Replacement from Shalby Hospital, Ahmedabad, developing a solid academic foundation and a deep clinical interest in trauma care, joint preservation, and functional rehabilitation.
Dr. Mahapatra serves as a consultant orthopedic surgeon & HOD at J P Hospital, Rourkela, where he manages a wide range of orthopedic conditions with a patient-centric, evidence-based approach.
He has performed over 7,000 orthopedic surgeries and more than 1,000 joint replacements, with over 13 years of experience in orthopedics. He has a special interest in joint replacement surgery and arthroscopic procedures, both of which significantly contribute to restoring mobility and improving functional outcomes. His dedication extends beyond clinical work into academic participation, interdisciplinary collaborations, and technology-driven rehabilitation initiatives that support the differently abled community.
Driven by compassion and innovation, Dr. Mahapatra continues to contribute meaningfully to inclusive healthcare and smarter mobility solutions, aligning strongly with the mission of this symposium.
Mr. Prateek Madhav, recipient of the National Award for the Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities 2025 under the category Sarvshreshth Anusandan/Navpravartan/Utpad Vikas (to be received on December 3, 2025) is the CEO and Co-founder of AssisTech Foundation (ATF), India’s largest Assistive Technology (AT) innovation ecosystem. An alumnus of NIT and IIM Calcutta, he transitioned from an 18-year corporate technology career to a purpose-driven journey of empowering persons with disabilities across learning, livelihood, and living.
At ATF, he has led the creation of a network of 500+ startups, impacting over 1 million lives, and curated a portfolio of 54 startups that have collectively developed 120+ assistive technology products and secured more than 50 patents. He also co-founded the Inclusive Innovation Network (+N), a global alliance advancing AT innovations and investments.
Prateek has served on the Steering Committee of The Royal Society, London, and on NITI Aayog’s Steering Committee for designing India’s National Strategic Framework on Assistive Technology, positioning him as a key voice in shaping the future of inclusive innovation.
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