CABE Foundation has a highly qualified and experienced team of professionals, committed to the cause of diversity inclusion and accessibility. The team also has rich hands-on experience in the areas of Accessibility, Universal Design, Access Audits of Built Infrastructure, Standards Formulation, Disability Laws and their implementation, Policy Reform, Disability and Diversity Inclusion, Inclusive Education, Workplace Inclusion, Training, Job Reservations, Awareness Raising and Empowerment of various stakeholders.
Meet our Board of Directors, Team Leads and Program Leads -
The Board of Directors
Mr. Thakur Datt Dhariyal
Executive Director |
| Mr. T.D. Dhariyal |
Subsequently he served as Advisor, Disability Inclusion and Mainstreaming with CBM, a Germany based disability and development organisation of more than 100 years’ standing. He was appointed as the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, Govt. of NCT of Delhi to serve a term from 17th March 2017 to 31st Dec 2019 where he delivered many pathbreaking orders and judgements with wide ranging impact on the disability policy and implementation of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016.
In addition to his responsibilities as Executive Director of CABE Foundation, he is also currently the President of the National Association of the Blind (Delhi) Mr. Dhariyal holds Masters’ degrees in Economics and Business Administration from University of Hull, UK.
Working for empowerment of persons with disabilities is his passion. He has been actively involed in helping persons with disabilities to secure their rights and entitlements and the organisations to implement laws and policies for empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Shri Dhariyal has contributed articles and presented papers on inclusive education, employment, mainstreaming disability, barrier free environment, community based inclusive development, etc. He also compiled a book entitled "Judgments on Disability Issues” and contributed in bringing out a Compendium on International and National Human Rights Regime for Persons with Disabilities; Disabled Friendly Sports Facilities; Guide book on Accessible Tourist Places in Delhi etc.
He has also been/is the Guest Faculty and trainer on a variety of disability issues in premier Training Institutes like Lal Bhadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie; Institute of Secretariat Training and Management, New Delhi; IIPA, New Delhi; UTCS, Govt. of NCT of Delhi; State Administrative Training Institutes, CSIR, ISRO, IOCL, NTPC, Oil India, Institute of Public Administration, Bengaluru, etc. Shri Dhariyal has also been/is a member of various expert committees in the Government, UGC, Universities, NIOS, Corporate Sector, NGOs/INGOs.
Prof. (Dr.) Mrs. Rachna Khare
Director
One of the authors of Universal Design India Principles developed at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad in 2011, Rachna Khare is full Professor and Dean (Research and Faculty Affairs) at School of Planning and Architecture Bhopal. Prior to this she was a Senior Research Fellow with Jamsetji Tata Universal Design Research Chair at National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad and taught at Birla Institute of Technology, Mesra. Starting her career in the early nineties as an Exhibition Officer cum Designer in Jawahar Kala Kendra, Jaipur, she practiced for eight years in the field and then joined academia.
She is a dedicated teacher and keen researcher for last Eighteen years. She was recognised as ‘Inspired Teacher’ by Hon’ble President of India and stayed Scholar-in-Residence at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2016.
Rachna is a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship and was affiliated with the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA during her PhD. Her research interests in the field of ‘Universal Design’ and ‘Designing for Special Needs’ have earned her grants and awards nationally and internationally. Apart from the Fulbright award, she is recipient of IMFAR-2009, Professionals from Developing Country Award, Chicago; Friends of Fulbright India Grant-2008, Lewisburg; Universal Design Award for Working professional-2011 by NEPEDP-Mphasis, India and R&D projects from All India Council of Technical Education and University Grants Commission in India. She works closely with the United Nations and consults internationally on disability issues and public access.
She has lectured extensively on Inclusive Design all over the world and has many papers in various National and International journals and conferences to her credit. Her papers appeared in the publications like Taylor and Francis, Sage, HFES, EDRA, RESNA and Archnet MIT. Her book ‘Designing Inclusive Educational Spaces for Autism’ published by the Institute of Human Centered Design, Boston, USA was released in 2010 at ‘Build Boston’, the book received ‘Certificate of Merit’ in ArchiDesign Award-2010. She has also edited special issues of internationally refereed journals called ‘SPANDREL’ on ‘Social sustenance’ in 2012 and ‘ABACUS’ on ‘Architecture for All’ in 2007. Some major events organised by her are ‘Universal Design Workshop’ and National Student Design Competition (NSDC-211) on ‘Universal Design/Design for All’-2011 in collaboration with the National Institute of Orthropaedically Handicapped, Kolkata and NSDC-2012 on ‘Universal Design for Exploring World Heritage Sites in India’ in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India and UNESCO. She serves as reviewer in many publications like EDRA, HFES, The Design Journal, and was also a jury member of Berkeley Prize Essay Competition-2013, endorsed by UC Berkeley, USA. Here is her detailed CV.
Mr. Subhash Chandra Vashishth,
Director
An Accessibility, Universal Design & Diversity Inclusion Specialist; Lawyer & a Development Professional based in India, Mr. Vashishth is passionately engaged in advocacy for human rights particularly, inclusion of women, seniors, transgender persons and persons with disabilities in the mainstream through policy reforms, formulation of standards on accessibility, accessibility assessment of built environment and services, legal intervention for disability justice & promoting physical accessibility in public infrastructure, ICT & transportation systems.
Shri Dhariyal has contributed articles and presented papers on inclusive education, employment, mainstreaming disability, barrier free environment, community based inclusive development, etc. He also compiled a book entitled "Judgments on Disability Issues” and contributed in bringing out a Compendium on International and National Human Rights Regime for Persons with Disabilities; Disabled Friendly Sports Facilities; Guide book on Accessible Tourist Places in Delhi etc.
He has also been/is the Guest Faculty and trainer on a variety of disability issues in premier Training Institutes like Lal Bhadur Shastri National Academy of Administration, Mussoorie; Institute of Secretariat Training and Management, New Delhi; IIPA, New Delhi; UTCS, Govt. of NCT of Delhi; State Administrative Training Institutes, CSIR, ISRO, IOCL, NTPC, Oil India, Institute of Public Administration, Bengaluru, etc. Shri Dhariyal has also been/is a member of various expert committees in the Government, UGC, Universities, NIOS, Corporate Sector, NGOs/INGOs.
Prof. (Dr.) Mrs. Rachna Khare
Director
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Dr. Rachna Khare
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She is a dedicated teacher and keen researcher for last Eighteen years. She was recognised as ‘Inspired Teacher’ by Hon’ble President of India and stayed Scholar-in-Residence at Rashtrapati Bhavan in 2016.
Rachna is a recipient of the prestigious Fulbright Fellowship and was affiliated with the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, USA during her PhD. Her research interests in the field of ‘Universal Design’ and ‘Designing for Special Needs’ have earned her grants and awards nationally and internationally. Apart from the Fulbright award, she is recipient of IMFAR-2009, Professionals from Developing Country Award, Chicago; Friends of Fulbright India Grant-2008, Lewisburg; Universal Design Award for Working professional-2011 by NEPEDP-Mphasis, India and R&D projects from All India Council of Technical Education and University Grants Commission in India. She works closely with the United Nations and consults internationally on disability issues and public access.
She has lectured extensively on Inclusive Design all over the world and has many papers in various National and International journals and conferences to her credit. Her papers appeared in the publications like Taylor and Francis, Sage, HFES, EDRA, RESNA and Archnet MIT. Her book ‘Designing Inclusive Educational Spaces for Autism’ published by the Institute of Human Centered Design, Boston, USA was released in 2010 at ‘Build Boston’, the book received ‘Certificate of Merit’ in ArchiDesign Award-2010. She has also edited special issues of internationally refereed journals called ‘SPANDREL’ on ‘Social sustenance’ in 2012 and ‘ABACUS’ on ‘Architecture for All’ in 2007. Some major events organised by her are ‘Universal Design Workshop’ and National Student Design Competition (NSDC-211) on ‘Universal Design/Design for All’-2011 in collaboration with the National Institute of Orthropaedically Handicapped, Kolkata and NSDC-2012 on ‘Universal Design for Exploring World Heritage Sites in India’ in collaboration with the Archaeological Survey of India and UNESCO. She serves as reviewer in many publications like EDRA, HFES, The Design Journal, and was also a jury member of Berkeley Prize Essay Competition-2013, endorsed by UC Berkeley, USA. Here is her detailed CV.
Mr. Subhash Chandra Vashishth,
Director
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Mr. Subhash Chandra Vashishth
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Mr. Vashishth is a Certified Professional in Accessible Built Environment Level III Expert - (CPABE Level 3) from the International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP), the first in India to achieve this highest credential. He is also a Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC). He is an Expert Member (Accessibility) of the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) Committee on National Building Code of India 2016 and has extensively contributed to accessibility provisions in the recently revised building code. He was also on the Core Committee of Ministry of Urban Development, Govt of India for drafting “Harmonised Guidelines and Space Standards for Barrier-free Built Environment for Persons with Disabilities and Elderly Persons” which was first notified under Section 15 of Rights of Persons with Disabilities Rules 2017 as the accessibility standard for built environment.
He is also a member on few other important BIS Sectional Committees namely Smart Cities (CED 59), Functional Requirements in Buildings (CED12), Active Assisted Living (LITD 35) focusing on accessibility of Information and Communication Technologies and a Sub Committee on Vulnerable Groups (SSD 09 : 03). He is also a member of Accessibility Coordination Committee (coordinated by PGD) that is specially created to ensure accessible coordination among various technical committees of Bureau of Indian Standards. He is also a part of Sector wise Consultative Groups on Sustainability for Services Sector in the BIS.
Mr. Vashishth was also on the Committee of Experts constituted by University Grants Commission, Ministry of Education, Govt. of India for preparing Comprehensive Guidelines on Accessibility, Pedagogy and Curricula for Students with Disabilities in Higher Educational Institutions (HEIs). He was nominated on the panel of Subject Matter Experts by the Office of the Chief Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities to advise and review Accessibility Standards and Guidelines formulated by different ministries and departments under Section 40 of the RPwD Act 2016.
Mr. Vashishth is the Communications Coordinator and a member of the Standing Committee on Accessible Transportation and Mobility, of the Transportation Research Board of National Academies, USA that focuses on studying problems relating to transportation disadvantaged and the services that various modes of transportation should provide for them as well as an assessment of the impact and value of programs directed at improving their mobility.
Mr. Vashishth has been nominated by Department of Social Welfare, Govt. of Delhi as a non official Member on the Advisory Committee of Experts constituted under sub-section (7) of section 79 the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 to assist the State Commissioner for Persons with Disabilities, NCT of Delhi with effect from 02 June 2022 for a tenure of three years. Earlier, he was a Special Invitee (Domain Expert: Accessibility) on this Advisory Committee since 2018.
Mr. Vashishth is empanelled with Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Govt. of India as an Access Audit Trainer under Accessible India Campaign. He has also been a visiting faculty at the National CPWD Academy, India for training of newly inducted officers (engineers and architects) and for promotional training of officers of Central Pubic Works Department, India. He has conducted Studios, Lectures, Electives, Winter/Summer Courses and Studios for students of School of Planning Architecture Delhi, Bhopal and CEPT University.
He serves on the Jury Panel of "We Care Film Festival " — an organisation which has been showcasing short films to raise awareness on disability issues, from around the world for over fifteen years.
Besides a professional degree in Law, Mr. Vashishth holds Masters Degrees in Industrial Relations & Personnel Management, Economics, Social Work & a PG Diploma in Developmental Therapy (Cerebral Palsy & Other Neurological Disabilities). He has also completed a course on "Universal Design & Accessibility Planning : an interdisciplinary approach to inclusive environments" from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. For more details visit www.subhashvashishth.com.
Mr. Amor Kool
Director
Mr. Kool is a consulting Architect and Sustainability Expert. He is converging the philosophy of sustainability with that of accessibility and universal design in his architectural practice. He has been involved with several research projects ranging from View Shed Analysis through Global Information System (GIS), to Global Collaboration Process through 4D modeling.
He is an Environmental Strategist working on various aspects of sustainable development. His experience varies from practicing core architecture, construction management, sustainable development, ESG initiatives; to matters pertaining to climate resiliency, adaptation and sustainable finance.
Besides a professional degree in Law, Mr. Vashishth holds Masters Degrees in Industrial Relations & Personnel Management, Economics, Social Work & a PG Diploma in Developmental Therapy (Cerebral Palsy & Other Neurological Disabilities). He has also completed a course on "Universal Design & Accessibility Planning : an interdisciplinary approach to inclusive environments" from the Indian Institute of Technology, Roorkee. For more details visit www.subhashvashishth.com.
Director
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Mr. Amor Kool
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He is an Environmental Strategist working on various aspects of sustainable development. His experience varies from practicing core architecture, construction management, sustainable development, ESG initiatives; to matters pertaining to climate resiliency, adaptation and sustainable finance.
Author of an academic book titled “A Leadership Guide for the construction professional” he is also a Member of BIS Technical Committee for Construction Management (including Life Safety in Construction), India, a Panel Member for Part 8 Section 1 Lighting and Ventilation; Part 4 Fire and Safety & also on Panel on Part 11 Approach to Sustainability in National Building Code of India.
He has conducted training sessions on Sustainability in Built Environment at National CPWD Academy for the Architects and Engineers of CPWD and has conducted numerous workshops, webinars and training sessions on the subject.
He is an Accredited Professional for LEED and IGBC. He has a Bachelors Degree in Architecture from School of Architecture, IPSA, Indore, M.P, India and a Master’s Degree in Construction Management from University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. He has also completed a course on "Universal Design & Accessibility Planning : an interdisciplinary approach to inclusive environments" from IIT Roorkee, India.
He is an Accredited Professional for LEED and IGBC. He has a Bachelors Degree in Architecture from School of Architecture, IPSA, Indore, M.P, India and a Master’s Degree in Construction Management from University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA. He has also completed a course on "Universal Design & Accessibility Planning : an interdisciplinary approach to inclusive environments" from IIT Roorkee, India.
Mr. Mandeep Kumar Singh
Director
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| Mr. Mandeep Kumar Singh |
Mandeep is a highly accomplished and result-driven business executive who brings a wealth of experience and passion to his role as Team Lead for Resource Mobilization and CSR at the Foundation. His career is marked by a profound dedication to the Freight & Express Industry, where he currently serves as the Global Head of Business Development at Yuvraj Supply Chain Services (Yuvraj SCS).
Mandeep's professional journey began with a successful 10-year tenure in the Express Industry, during which he demonstrated his expertise in Business Development, Customer Service, and Product Development. His innate ability to connect with individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds has made him a natural leader who leads by example and fosters a high-performance work culture within his sphere of influence.
Mandeep's specialization spans various aspects of the industry, including International Freight Forwarding, Customer Service, Cargo Charter Services (both Domestic and International), Customs Clearance (Import and Export), and Transitioning New Business. Consequently, he is an invaluable resource for the Foundation, contributing significantly to the development of new business opportunities, building corporate relations, and spearheading sustainability and CSR projects within the realm of social development. His passion and expertise make him an indispensable asset to the Foundation's mission and goals.
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The Team Leads
Mr. T.D. DhariyalTeam Lead - Research, Consultancies & Disability Inclusion
Mr. Subhash Chandra Vashishth
Team Lead - Capacity Building, Access Audits & Advocacy
Mr. Mandeep Kumar Singh
Team Lead - Resource Mobilization and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Mr. Amor Kool
Team Lead - Sustainability and Environment, Social & Governance (ESG)
Mr. Thomas E. Rickert (Tom Rickert)
Honorary Chief Editor,
CABE Newsletter "Inclusive Transportation Around the World"
The Program Leads
Mr. Kiran P. Bhagwat
Program Lead - Access Appraisals
Kiran Bhagwat is a certified architect registered with the Council of Architecture in India, with over 15 years of extensive experience in the management of large-scale residential and commercial projects and developments. His expertise spans various facets, including conceptual design, schematic design, working drawing preparation, cost estimation, securing building and land approvals, meticulous site supervision, and efficient project management, including cashflow analysis. Kiran has notably contributed to the realization of multistoried high-rise residential and commercial buildings, as well as township projects across major cities in India, including Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bangalore. His impressive portfolio also includes substantial involvement in Special Economic Zone (SEZ) projects for the Maharashtra State Textile Corporation (MSTC).
Kiran holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Mumbai University, and he has further enriched his knowledge by completing a Masters in Design Research (with a focus on Disability) from London Metropolitan University in the United Kingdom. His research findings have been recognized and published by the Royal College of Art, London, in its prestigious INCLUDE Conferences, highlighting his significant contributions to the field of accessibility and design research. Kiran Bhagwat's wealth of experience and dedication to inclusive design make him an invaluable leader in the realm of Access Appraisals.
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