VS Basavaraju, Director 

V S Basavaraju’s work with disability started during his college days, where he would volunteer with KWAB (What is full form).  Post college, he pursued a Diploma in Supporting Disabled Children for Integration in Mainstream Schools and got involved headlong in disability work. He joined APD in 1992 and worked in the Urban Community Programme where he worked extensively in the urban slums and developed a model CBR programme. Since 1997, he has been the Director of APD. He brings to the table the rich experience and innovations of field work along with organizational experience. 

He enjoys reading, especially biographies from where he can draw insights into people’s lives. He has tremendous faith in the ability of people at large. He is an eternal optimist and enjoys meeting people and trying new things. 

K. N. Gopinath, Assistant Director of Programmes                        

Armed with a Masters in Social Work from Bangalore University, Mr. Gopinath started his work in APD 14 years ago. He has seen the organization grow and evolve. He is currently the Asst. Director of Programmes at APD. His passion lies in working with the communities and conducting human development trainings. 

Whenever he has time away from the challenges of community work, he enjoys reading and swimming. 
 
Abhijit Mukherjee, Assistant Director, Institutional Development

Abhijit Mukherjee started his career as a Management Trainee in Hindustan Lever in their Foods &Beverage Division in 1978. In 2003 he left HLL and joined Duncans Tea Limited and was in charge of their Commodity Procurement. 

He left Duncans in 2006 and did one year Diploma Course in Counseling in Banjara Academy, Bangalore. 

Subsequently he joined as Assistant Director, Institutional Development in  June 2007 and is currently working in that position. With him he brings a rich corporate experience and the best practices from the corporate sector. 

He is keen to work and learn from People. He spends part of his time reading and listening to music. He also likes traveling. 

Amalorpava Marie, Program Manager, Therapeutic Interventions 

Ms. Amala walked into APD quite by accident. She joined the Physio training, not really knowing what it was all about. But the work with the children has held her on for 20 years now. She says that all her real learning happened not during her college education but at APD itself. She started as a therapist and a trainer in therapy for the staff at APD. Today she is the Program Manager for Therapeutic Interventions. As part of her role she works closely with the various UCBR and RCBR teams, as well as the people on campus to strategize therapy across APD. Her focus remains on training on disability management issues. She manages the orthotics aid and appliances units at the macro level, ensuring quality and encouraging innovation. 

A short talk with her will convey to you her passion for the cause and for therapy itself. She looks at taking therapy right into the communities to make it more effective and as she says “A little Therapy a day, keeps the Disability away!” 

K. Usha Rani, Program Manager, Education  

A desire to find a challenging and different job after graduation is what brought Ms. Usha to APD. She started here as a teacher of Science and Maths in SIS and is now the Programme Manager of Education. 

Her role involves taking care of all the educational activities across APD. She works with the staff of SIS, UCBR and RCBR to plan educational programmes and to review them. She also trains teachers in regular schools on inclusive education. 

She has a flair for languages and can speak 5 Indian languages comfortably. She is always open to learn and loves to take on new challenges. She loves anything to do with children and enjoys traveling and cooking. She can be contacted in case anyone is looking for inputs on inclusive education.          

Shiva C. Hiremath, Chief of Training and Employment (Rural Program)                     

Mr. Hiremath currently heads the Training and Employment (Rural) program at APD. He is responsible for making the strategic plans, developing both short terms as well as long term plans for the programme and to co-ordinate and monitor the same at regular intervals. After completing a Diploma in Mechanical Engineering and Craftsman Training, he joined APD 20 years ago. He worked as a Training Officer at APD, which enabled him to work with and to train many youngsters. 

He has trained many youngsters in Young Leadership Courses and has also worked with many Disability groups. 

His reserves of patience and perseverance have helped him in the journey of life. He enjoys playing Volley Ball and Chess. The beauty of nature never fails to miss his notice and he loves traveling.