Mr. Swashpawan Singh, Former Ambassador (Board Member and Trustee)
Mr. Swashpawan Singh as a member of the Indian Foreign Service held wide range of appointments in the ministry of external affairs and in the Indian embassies. He was ambassador of India in Kuwait from January 2002 to October 2005 and there after ambassador and permanent representative of India to the United Nations in Geneva from December 2005 to December 2008. He was Secretary to the Vice President of India from Nov. 2013 to Aug. 2017 and was a leader of the Indian delegation to the 62nd Session of the Commission of Human Rights). He was also a member of the Ministerial Delegation at the First Session of the Human Rights Council (June 2006); leader of the Indian delegation to the Second, Third, Fourth,Fifth, Sixth, Seventh and Eighth Sessions of the Human Rights Council between September 2006 and December 2008.
Mr. Anoop Seth (Board Member and Treasurer)
Mr. Anoop Seth, 58, holds a Master of Management Studies from Birla Institute of Technology and Science, Pilani. He has completed a career of 35 years, holding senior positions in the fields of Financial Services (ABN Amro Bank, Bank of America and Standard Chartered Bank) and Infrastructure (AMP Capital, Bechtel and IDFC). Post completing his corporate career in 2017, Anoop Seth is working actively with Saksham and various other social institution.
Mr. Dipesh Sutariya (Board Member)
Mr. Dipesh Sutariya is the Co-Founder and CEO of Enable India, a non-profit organization that works for the economic independence and dignity of persons with disability across India, since 1999. Dipesh Sutariya is transforming attitudes towards employment of the disabled and creating a new market in which the needs of the corporate sector are met by a growing group of disabled professionals who will dispel the myths and stereotypes about hiring persons with disability.
He and the team have collaborated with 600+ companies across 25 cities in 26sectors (private and public) across India and have provided gainful employment to 4500+ people with disabilities directly. Through consultancy and capacity building of partner NGOs, they have enabled training and placement of thousands of disabled indirectly. Annually the team have opened up 50-100 jobs roles across disabilities by providing holistic solutions and services to companies who employ the disabled. Enable India is the placement cell for Government of Karnataka and have developed innovative employability trainings which has resulted in Persons with Disabilities being change agents in their company. Enable India’s models and content are used across many organizations in India and some organizations in Africa, Asia, Europe and America.
Dipesh holds a bachelor’s degree in Electronics Engineering (B.E) from V.E.S.I.T, Mumbai University and master’s degree (M.S) in Computer Science from Monmouth University, New Jersey, USA.
Mr. Anubhav Mitra (Board Member)
Mr. Anubhav Mitra has 15+ years of Project Management and SME experience in building, managing and deploying accessibility related project with Agile development along with experience of providing role based training in banking, retail and content based project including Target.com, ManUTD, Microsoft, World Bank, Daisy consortium, Bank of Montreal, Bookshare, WIPO etc. with managing the accessibility development and testing team for both Web based application and Native application.
He is an expert in creating road map for implementing accessibility in independent components of website and native app, code analyzing to improve accessibility, excellent knowledge of Area codes and there use in HTML, assistive technology tools and visual design accessibility analysis. He is experienced in conducting accessibility in regional and other international languages.
Mr. Dipendra Manocha (Honorary Founder Managing Trustee)
Mr. Dipendra Manocha is an Alumnus of Delhi University and a firm believer in braille as a base for education and literacy for persons with blindness. He left his research work to follow his passion to work for a mission of providing information and content in accessible format to persons with print disability.
Today Mr. Manocha is the Director, Developing countries Programme and Lead of Training and Tech Support with the DAISY Consortium. He is also the president of the DAISY Forum of India and is the founder trustee of “Saksham”. He is the president of Delhi State branch of the National Association for the Blind and plays a major role as a key partner in the Assistech Lab of IIT Delhi that is involved in development of assistive technology for persons with blindness. He represents Civil Society Organizations on behalf of DAISY Consortium in the working group of UNESCAP that monitors implementation of the Incheon Strategy in the Asia Pacific Region. He is the designated focal person of DAISY Consortium for the training and technical support in capacity building programmes of the accessible Books consortium of WIPO.
Ms.Rummi K Seth (Honorary Founder Managing Trustee)
In 2003, Ms. Rummi started Saksham to establish a distribution system of assistive devices for persons with blindness to plug in the huge gap and worked relentlessly for the empowerment and independent living of persons with sight loss. Since then, Saksham took up several path breaking initiatives under her leadership. Every moment of her life is dedicated to her mission. She is a full- time honorary leader of the organization.
Her key contributions to the society include:
- Availability of affordable assistive technology compatible in Indian languages for persons with blindness that has changed what persons with blindness can or cannot do.
- starting of audio description of films in India
- Accessible gallery for persons with blindness in National Museum
- Introducing accessible replicas of monuments
- Model institution of quality education or children with blindness and multiple disabilities
Mr. Prashant Ranjan Verma (Board Member)
Mr. Verma is an Independent consultant to the DAISY CONSORTIUM for technical support and software testing. Responsible for conducting trainings in Digital Talking Books production and providing support to libraries and publishers taking up inclusive publishing worldwide.
Mr. Verma is credited with several innovations including the Currency Identification Device for India and Mauritius and Bank Cheque Printing Templates for the blind. He has launched www.GoodFoodTalks.in, India’s first accessible restaurant finder and menu reading app in 2016. He has written several books and manuals on computer training and use of technology for the visually impaired.
Mr. Verma is also Founder & CEO of accessable www.accessable.co.in a company that provides accessibility and inclusion services
Mr. Verma is an experienced Accessibility and Usability evangelist and has provided accessibility testing services to numerous companies and organizations like Microsoft, UNESCO, UNICEF, Dolphin Computers, RNIB UK and more.
Ms. Deepika Sood (Board Member)
Ms. Deepika Sood graduated in Political Science from Lady Sriram College and did her post-graduation from Delhi University. In order to be independent in reading and writing she underwent computer training and ability to use different soft wares particularly those enabling visually challenged persons to perform as good as sighted persons independently.
She began her career as manager of talking book library at NAB, and then worked with Vodafone as quality manager. She joined Saksham in 2008 as an advocate of DAISY technology. Presently she heads Saksham Punjab which produces talking course books of school and universities. The Centre runs computer training courses for the visually impairment and a preparatory Centre for children with visual impairment.