Purple Think Tank

After pursuing a MBA in HR Management, Anusha’s keen interest to understand and work with children with disabilities drew her to make a drastic career change and pursue her B.Ed. in Special Education. Anusha has worked as a resource room teacher in a busy mainstream school where she did not allow the challenges of staffing, space and syllabus become hurdles in the implementation of inclusive education.

She is currently the Head, Inclusive Education Program at the Sethu Centre for Child Development & family Guidance in Goa, where she collaborates with educational institutions and teachers who are committed to create welcoming spaces for all learners in schools. She has conducted several training programs for educators including school Heads, regular teachers, special educators and resource persons of Samagra Shiksha, staunchly believing that when everyone comes together the best inclusive solutions are possible.

Anusha is confident that through our steadfast commitment to an inclusive process we will create more welcoming institutions.

Neena Jacob has been an educator for 40 years, with her zest and energy levels still rising. She believes in the resilience of children and is continually amazed at their curiosity and ability to adapt to their environment, no matter how challenging. When she worked for many decades as the Principal of the primary section of one of Mumbai’s most popular schools, her belief in the capabilities of all children and her passion for inclusion were a driving force that led her to create along with her team of teachers, a host of policies and pedagogical approaches to make inclusion a reality.

These ensured that students with diverse needs could experience all the joy of learning and were a valuable part of the entire school community, never being isolated. Her success in her collaborative teaching endeavours lead Neena to emphatically state “If this can be done in a mainstream school it can be done anywhere, with help of the community, when we are convinced”.

Pooja Desai is a special educator currently working at Chubby Cheeks Spring Valley High School in Goa for the last decade. She started her journey in inclusion when schools in Goa started opening Resource Rooms in 2005 as one of the first Resource room teachers. She worked for the research-based project at Sangath NGO to mainstream children with learning disabilities in regular schools. Pooja has done various sensitization workshops on inclusive education for teachers under the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan, sessions on modified texts for the State Council for Educational Research & Training and anganwadi teachers.

Pooja has implemented both life skills as well as academic curriculum for children with special needs within the mainstream school. She has been closely guiding regular teachers in adapting and modifying curriculum, assessments and texts for children with special needs. She also interacts with the families of her students to empower them to understand their children better.

Today with the support of the school management the roots of inclusive education are strong enough in Chubby Cheeks Spring Valley High School to welcome all children under one roof to learn and grow together.

Nandita de Souza is an eternal child at heart, who has been practising developmental and behavioural paediatrics in Goa since 1993. She is the Director of the Sethu Centre for Child Development and Family Guidance, Goa, India, a unique transdisciplinary service provided by a dedicated interdisciplinary team of professionals for the assessment and management of developmental and behavioural difficulties in children, with a focus on autism, inclusive education and parenting issues.

Sethu's mission is to be a bridge between children and their families, schools and communities to foster their development to its full potential. Nandita believes that we can create a just society where all children can live and learn together. Sethu seeks to create partnerships with all those who influence how children live, learn and grow. It has been working for many years in inclusive education by understanding school systems, training teachers, interacting with children in schools,