Tata Institute of Social Sciences

Dr Vaishali Kolhe

Associate Professor
Mumbai Campus, Centre for Disability Studies and Action, School of Social Work - Mumbai Campus
Officiating Dean,Office of Alum Affairs (OAA), Office Of Vice Chancellor
Associate Dean, Office of Students' Affairs

Qualification

BSc. (Audiology & Speech Rehabilitation) (AYJNIHH),
M.A. (Medical & Psychiatric Social Work) (TISS),
PhD

Contact

vaishali[at]tiss[dot]ac[dot]in

Dr.Vaishali Kolhe, PhD

Associate Professor,

Centre for Disability Studies & Action, School of Social Work

Project Director

I Access Rights Mission

vaishali@tiss.ac.in,

Mobile-8850038149

Dr. Vaishali Kolhe, working as Associate Professor and former Chairperson of The Centre for Disability Studies and Action, School of Social Work, Tata Institute of Social Sciences. Mumbai campus. She joined TISS in June 2002 as an Assistant Professor in the Dept. of Medical & Psychiatric Social Work (Currently as Centre for Health and Mental Health). Aftter restructuring of the institute she was shifted to Centre for Disability Studies & Action in June 2006.

Her academic engagements are teaching, training, research & consultation in the field of disability,Inclusion Accessibility, Higher Education, Health, mental health, early intervention, Skill development, disability laws, policy initiatives, barrier-free environment, convergence, and sustainable development goals with reference to disability. She is currently engaged in two field actions, research initiatives with a people-centred approach and disability inclusion programmes at universities.

In 2003-2005, she actively engaged in field based work with mental health issues of children, youth, women and Child labourers in Dharavi slums & M Ward worked towards their education, vunerability, Health, and skill-based empowerment for three years.

In 2004, she worked in the TISS Tsunami Disaster Relief Activities at Cadloor district at coastal villages on needs assessment,trauma Counselling and crisis intervention.

In 2011-2015, she presented various papers on National and International Conferences such as International Conference on Education for All" University of Warsaw, Poland 2011. She had been to the University of Gothenburg, Sweden as a faculty exchange Programme for teaching and collaborations during April 2011 for two weeks.

In 2016 Organised the First International Conference on Disability, Accessibility and Inclusion in India followed by Organising National Conference on Disability, Accessibility, Inclusion and Wellbeing in 2017,2018, 2019, 2021, 2022 as part of FAP, the initiative to create a national platform for all professionals to dialogue on emerging Issues in the context of RPWD Act 2016 and legal and policy practices & bring best practices in the country on disability inclusion and innovation inviting WHO/UN representatives.

NEP 2020 & Covid -19 Initiatives-

1.Organized National Webinar on “E-Learning and Digital Technology for Persons with Disabilities in light of New Education Policy” on 10 September 2020, webinar organized by I Access Rights Mission, Centre for Disability Studies and Action, TISS in collaboration with National Institute of Empowerment of Persons with Multiple Disabilities,(Dept. of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, MoSJ&E), Saksham Trust,Daisy Forum of India.

2. Organised National Webinar on the Implementation of Rights for Persons with Disability and Covid 19 Scenario. Dec 3, 2021, on the eve of World Disability Day at TISS by inviting law professors from renowned universities.

Policy Initiatives

1. Drafted GR dated 4/3/2017 and 28/09/2018 on Students with Disability in Higher Education for the Government of Maharashtra released by Joint Secretary, Shri Sidharth Kharat. Dept of Higher and Technical Education.

2. Drafted Disability Policy in Higher Education for Maharashtra with the Directorate of Higher Education while working with 14 State Universities and stakeholders in 2021 and submitted Policy draft to the Chief Secretary, Secretary HE, MoSJ and CM of the Government of Maharashtra. The said draft disability policy in Higher Education was endorsed by the State Human Rights Commission of Maharashtra.

Publications:

Editor of TISS Journal of Disability Studies and Research (Half Yearly, Peer-reviewed Journal) ISSN: 2583-603X (PRINT)

Conference Convener:

The National Conference on Disability, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Wellbeing has been organized at the TISS every year. It aims to bring together researchers, teachers, students, and experts under one platform to dialogue on disability as a development agenda. It fosters debate and re-imagines disability inclusion in society by discussing the emerging issues of persons with disabilities to develop strategies and a roadmap for the future. Also, there is scope to share best practices and inclusive strategies to promote the value of inclusion among all academic disciplines and recognize the multidisciplinary approach required to design needs-based interventions/services for persons with disabilities to facilitate equal access to resources and ensure a dignified life for persons with disabilities.

Health

Mental health

Equitable and Inclusive Environments

Social Work Practices and Family-Centred Interventions

Disability Studies

Universal Accessibility,

Evidence-based Research

Disability Inclusion

Higher Education,

Early Intervention,

Skill Development and Employment

WASH Programmes

Poverty and Disability

People-centered Practices

Disability laws and Policy

Governance and Convergence of Flagship Schemes

Sustainable Development Goals -3 and 4, 10

Publications

Kolhe, V., (2009). Inclusive Education: A developmental policy Addressing Social Exclusion, Critical Enquiry, Peer Reviewed Quarterly Research Journal for Interdisciplinary Studies in Humanities and Social Sciences, Volume-I, Issue II, 123-144,

Kolhe, V. (2017) Access to Higher Education: Issues of Students with Disability in Higher Education. Aakar Publications, New Delhi, 170-206

Kolhe. V (2016) Need for Accessibility Policy in Higher Education: Scope of Inclusion of Students with Disability & Diversity, Edited Vol.: Book- Social Inclusion in Higher Education ISBN 978-93-5149-531-4, Sheth Publisher, Mumbai.

Navin Krishna Tharur, Vaishali Kolhe, (2017) Role of Belief Systems in Enhancing and Mitigating Perceived Stigma in Persons with Vitiligo, International Journal of Advances in Science, Engineering and Technology (IJASEAT). 5 (3), Spl. Issue-1 Aug.-2017.

Vaishali Kolhe, Navjit Gaurav (2019). Beginners Guide on Access Audit of Higher Education Institutions- A Photo Narrative Approach, June 2019, Publisher: Gaurang Publication Globalize Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, India, ISBN: ISBN9788194156727

Ram Aravind, Kolhe.V, Kumar.D, (2021) Social Spending during Covid-19: Impact on Disability Institutions and Persons with Disabilities in India (co-author), International Journal of Social Sciences Review, 9(4). 338-346, ISSN-2347-3797

Kolhe, V. (2021). Editorial, Theme-Disability and Covid-19 Pandemic: Challenges, Initiatives and Interventions, TISS Journal of Disability Studies and Research, 1(1), 17-23, ISSN-2583-603X (Print)

Kolhe, V. (2021). Editorial, Theme-Reimagining Disability Inclusion in the Covid-19 Times, TISS Journal of Disability Studies and Research, 1(2). 5-15, ISSN-2583-603X (Print)

Kolhe, V. (2022). Editorial, Theme-Disability Inclusion and Education, TISS Journal
of Disability Studies and Research, 2(1), 5-10, ISSN-2583-603X (Print)

Kolhe, V. (2022). Editorial, Theme-Laws, Disability Social Work and Social Inclusion Strategies, TISS Journal of Disability Studies and Research, 2(2), 7-10, ISSN-2583-603X (Print)

Editor of TISS Journal of Disability Studies and Research (Half Yearly, Peer-reviewed Journal) ISSN: 2583-603X (PRINT)

Field Action Projects & Initiatives-

1. "Micro-Level Planning of Disability in M-Ward"

In 2013, a research project was developed to create people's plan through stakeholder consultations and meetings on the subject of disability and rehabilitation using the CBR framework, This resulted in action-based disability studies social work practice and the establishment of an Early Intervention Centre in collaboration with another NGO in slums of Mankhurd to provide free intervention & therapeutic early intervention services to 30 Children with disability from below poverty line. In 2013,

2. I Access Rights Mission: TISS initiative on Inclusion

In August 2013, An initiative to begin the Centre’s first field action project 'I Access Rights Mission: TISS initiative for Inclusion and accessibility for Students with Disability in Higher Education at the Centre for Disability Studies & Action, The bottom-up approach used to understand the issues with participation of students with diverse disabilities through consultation, round table meetings which resulted into the Call for Action Guidelines for Students with Disability in Higher Education for universities in 2015, further revised in 2018 as per RPWD Act 2016. These guidelines resulted in constructive dialogue with other universities of Maharashtra & Directorate of Higher Education(DHE). The Director, DHE, of the government of Maharashtra gave directions to 14 State Universities to implement the I Access Rights Mission, a call for action guidelines in Universities/Colleges of Maharashtra under the Directorate (DHE) in 2019. She was invited by the state authorities to develop two Government Regulations (GR) on emerging issues of Students with Disability in Higher education with reference to Students with Disability in Higher Education & teaching-learning/exams of 21 types of Disability and making universities disabled friendly and working towards supreme Court Landmark Judgements of Justice Sikri 15/12/2017 on implementation barrier-free environment in universities campus in time bound manner. As a result, Dr Kolhe drafted GR dated 27/08/2018 on Accessibility at Universities was released by the Joint Secretary, Shri Sidharth Kharat, Dept of Higher and Technical Education for implementation of Supreme Court Landmark Judgement to make the university campuses accessible and inclusive.

Teaching and Courses

Management of Disability-Related Programmes

Family-centered interventions with Families of Children and Adults with Disabilities

Social Work Practice with Individuals

Persons with Disabilities and their Rehabilitation Contexts

Agency Administration

Social Case Work

Design for Inclusive Environments and Accessibility

Human Rights, Social Policies, and Law

OC-28 Social Work Interventions with Disabled and their Families

Seminar on Advanced Psychiatry