National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People

Arman Ali

Arman Ali
(Executive Director)

Arman Ali is a disability rights activist for over two decades now and is currently heading the NCPEDP as the Executive Director. Before NCPEDP, he worked as the HR Specialist, Equal Opportunity Initiative, Infosys. Following Infosys, he served as the Executive Director for Shishu Sarothi wherein he was instrumental in forging ties beneficial for people with disabilities and the organization, taking it forward in the areas of early intervention, rehabilitation, education, employment, advocacy, awareness as well as legal aid for both children and people with disabilities. He has also held several Honorary Positions in various important Committees of Government at the state and national levels. He was part of UNESCO’s Editorial Board on State of the Education Report for India 2019 -Children with Disabilities. Arman is an alumnus of the International Visitor Leadership Program of the United State’s Department of State and has also undergone a Leadership in Public Policy Training conducted by Oxford University.

Arman is a recipient of various awards namely, Rotary Literacy Hero Award 2016 for exemplary work in ensuring better education to children with disabilities, the IBN7 Super Idol Award 2011 for his services towards the welfare of persons with disabilities, Infosys Excellence Award for Inclusivity and Diversity from Infosys for the year 2007, Outstanding Individual Award for the Year 2007 from Atma Nirbhar – Ek Challenge, a non-profit organization working for people with disabilities, the National Award in Public Recognition for Outstanding Performance as the Most Efficient Disabled Employee for the Year 1998 by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, Government of India from the then Prime Minister, Shri Atal Behari Vajpayee.

Asifa Parveen

Asifa Parveen
(Program Manager)

Asifa is the Program Manager for NCPEDP- Bajaj Finserv Scholarship Program for Students with Disabilities. With over 8 years in the development sector, Asifa has experience in program management, capacity building, psycho-social support, donor relationship building etc. Before NCPEDP, Asifa had worked with BOSCO Delhi (An UNHCR Project) and SOS Children’s Villages of India where she worked for the holistic development of refugees in Delhi and for the protection and development of orphan and abandoned children. Asifa holds an MSW degree from Aligarh Muslim University.

Sumeet Parikshit

Sumeet Parikshit
(Programs Manager)

Sumeet is the Program Manager for NCPEDP-Mphasis Project on Promoting Inclusive Development for Persons with Disabilties. With an experience of over three years, Sumeet has experience in implementing livelihood programs and project management strategies in the rural hinterlands of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chattisgarh, Maharashtra and West Bengal. Before NCPEDP, he had worked at Pradan, Dhriiti-The Courage within TISS and Pragya. Sumeet has an MBA in Rural Management from Xavier Institute of Management, Bhubaneswar.

Akshay Jain

Akshay Jain
(Assistant Program Manager)

Akshay Jain, a lawyer by profession and Assistant Program Manager at the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People. With a wealth of experience in the development sector, specifically within the disability advocacy realm, Akshay's dedication resonates through his multifaceted roles encompassing Employment, Law/Policy, Accessibility, Legal Aid, fundraising, and partnership initiatives focused on disability.

His vision echoes an inclusive society rooted in the principles of universal design, where the efficacy of laws is manifested through their direct implementation. Akshay staunchly believes in the transformative power of educating and empowering youth, emphasizing that disability rights transcend boundaries of community, spanning age, caste, gender, and socio-economic divides. His unwavering commitment to fostering holistic inclusivity drives his endeavors towards societal change.

Notably, Akshay is the visionary founder of the Centre for the Rights of Differently Abled at Symbiosis Law School, Hyderabad—a dedicated research hub championing disability rights. He extensively explores the landscape of disability laws and advocates for their robust execution, sharing insights on esteemed national and international platforms.

Beyond his professional endeavors, Akshay finds solace in literature, movies, and theater. His passion for the stage led him to actively participate in acting and directing numerous theater dramas during his undergraduate years.

Nazneen Shekh

Nazneen Shekh
(Communications Officer)

Nazneen is a Communications Officer at NCPEDP and is involved in media outreach program to sensitize the issues faced by persons with disabilities and provides support in driving media engagements to build greater visibility for the organization and disability focused issues. She has two years of work experience and has previously worked as a researcher in the field of gender, technology and media. She holds a masters degree in Sociology from Delhi School of Economics. Her interest lies in the intersection of gender, technology, media, and disability.

She has also presented research papers in academic conferences on ‘Contextualizing a gendered digital divide: Learning from girls in peri-urban Delhi’. and ‘Digital Divide and Media Literacy: Contextualizing Disruptions, Learnings, and Practices’.

She lives with cerebral palsy and her disability impacts how she engages with her work and the world. Her personal insights informs her commitment to the vision and mission of NCPEDP.

Vamika Gupta

Vamika Gupta
(Program Officer, Advocacy)

Vamika has a post graduate diploma in Development Management from Indian School of Development Management (ISDM) and a graduate degree in Commerce from Delhi University. She has worked previously as a Project Coordinator at ECHO India and as a Senior Program Associate at Start Up! where she was involved in liaising with civil society organizations, providing communication support and ensuring process compliance for a diverse range of programs. She has also interned with various credible organizations such as Pravah, Simple Education Foundation, Pratham and Azad Foundation during her graduation. These experiences sparked her interest in the development sector and have further enhanced her research, stakeholder engagement and project management skills.

Her thirst to explore different avenues, experience diverse realities and challenge herself to become a better version of herself brings her to NCPEDP!

Himanshi Sardana

Himanshi Sardana
(Project Associate, Advocacy)

Himanshi Sardana is a relentless disability advocate , a visionary for creating disabled-friendly workplaces and a person living with Cerebral Palsy. With over two years of experience in executive search, she currently serves as a Project Associate - Advocacy at the National Centre for Promotion of Employment of Disabled People. Himanshi is a trailblazer in promoting inclusivity.

She has actively engaged with various social media platforms, using her writing skills to advocate for inclusion. Additionally, Himanshi has conducted workshops in collaboration with Ginny's Planet, a Delhi-based social enterprise, further advancing the cause of inclusivity.

Akash Shekapure

Akash Shekapure
(Program Officer)

Akash is the Program Officer under NCPEDP-Mphasis Project on Promoting Inclusive Development for Persons with Disabilties. He is an inclusion professional working in the areas of program management, research and community engagement for the last 3 years. Before NCPEDP he has worked with Montfort Care “an early intervention centre for children with disabilities” and Sarthak educational trust “a skill development centre for persons with disabilities”. As a program officer, Mr. Akash is engaged in coordinating and monitoring regular activities of disability law units east-south-west and overall program documentation. Mr. Akash has completed his MSW in disability studies and action from TISS Mumbai and MPhil in Planning and development from IIT Bombay.

Faiza Raghib

Faiza Raghib
(Program Officer)

Experienced research and development sector professional. Currently, serving as a Program Officer at NCPEDP. A trained counselor in the field of Psychology and have worked with different age groups.

She have worked with international NGOs, de-addiction centres, and educational institutions in the area of fundraising and community development with reputed organisations such as WWF - India and Dr Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital. Along with my professional journey She is pursuing a Masters in Social Work to broaden my horizon in the development sector.

Ujwal Singh

Ujwal Singh
(Program Officer)

Ujwal is the Program Officer - Documentation. She has pursued her Masters in Science from Gujarat and is currently based in Delhi. She started her career working as a counsellor and then as a program coordinator with one of the public health institutes. In her last organization, Ujwal got an opportunity to work in different departments starting from alumni coordinator to working with programs department dealing with both Indian as well as International students in the work span of 5.5 years.

Avdhesh Yadav

Avdhesh Kumar Yadav
(Accounts & Administrative Officer)

Avdhesh has been working as the Accounts and Administrative officer since 2014 wherein he looks after the Accounts section and ensures the smooth functioning of the office facilities. Before NCPEDP, Avdhesh had worked as a Chartered Accountant at S. Sahoo and Co. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce from the School of Open Learning, University of Delhi.

Rosy Martin

Rosy Martin
(Executive Assistant to the Executive Director)

Rosy assists the Executive Director in the day-to-day activities of the organisation. Before NCPEDP, she had worked as Secretary to Chairman and Managing Director, Micro Insurance Academy. Rosy has done a Secretarial Practice Course from Young Women’s Christian Association (YMCA), Delhi.