Maharashtra Dyslexia Association is a not-for-profit organization committed to securing the rights of students with dyslexia, also known as a 'Specific Learning or Language Disability', to an appropriate education. MDA was started in March 1996 by a group of parents and professionals with a view to creating awareness about Dyslexia amongst the educational community in the city and the general public, and advocating the right of students with Learning Disability. MDA aims to provide a better understanding of this common, but often misunderstood condition and provide appropriate remedial assistance, thus working towards the acceptance of the special needs of children with learning disability and enabling them to reach their full potential.

MDA is located in three centres in and around Mumbai city and has a team of psychologists, special educators and other professionals, offering various services, which include:

• Diagnostic and remedial facilities for children and young adults.

• A therapy centre providing occupational therapy, play therapy and sensory integration therapy.

• Workshops in schools and colleges.

• Counselling facilities for both students and their families.

• A Parents Support Group to cater to the needs of parents of children with learning disability.

• A Research Unit to undertake research projects and develop appropriate teaching and testing material suited to the local conditions.

• A Training Centre where we conduct training workshops / talks for small groups of teachers and other professionals.

• Aptitude Testing and Career Guidance Counselling.

• An Academic Language (Dyslexia) Therapist Training Programme in collaboration with the Multisensory Language Training Institute of New Mexico.

• An Advocacy Cell that negotiates with the education authorities for the rights of children with Learning Disability.

• A Reference Library with books, journals and latest information on learning disability and related areas, which is accessible to all.

MDA Committee Members

What brought together a motley group of parents was their single-minded passion to help children with learning disabilities. Having been through their own trials and tribulations in bringing up or dealing with a child with dyslexia, each of them had faced challenges and sought support from whichever source they had access to, in dealing with the difficulties of these children. This made them appreciate the need to come together and use their personal and collective skills and experiences to reach out and help others.

• Vinita Pandit - Educational Consultant
Mrs. Pandit was instrumental in bringing together the parents who would frequently visit her for advice and solace, and starting the MDA in 1996. Highly respected and admired by her peers, parents and students alike, Mrs. Pandit's vision culminated in the formation of the Association. A dedicated teacher, she worked at the prestigious Arya Vidya Mandir School for over 27 years and retired as the Principal of the Bandra branch, after being at its helm for 9 years.

• Ms. Kate Currawalla - President
Kate Currawalla is the Founder President of MDA. She has been working tirelessly since its inception to expand and develop the reach of the Association, so that children with Learning Disabilities have access to high quality testing, assessment and remediation, to enable them an appropriate education within the mainstream. Kate's energetic determination and unflagging attitude has resulted in the Centre's expansion from a tiny office in North Mumbai to three centres across the city. Her sense of enterprise and perseverance has resulted in several fruitful tie-ups for the association in the areas of training and publications. A graduate of Arts from St. Xavier's College, Mumbai, and a PG Diploma in Mass Communications, Kate has worked as a free-lance journalist and short filmmaker. She was a regular contributor to several reputed media channels, including the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation and Doordarshan. In 2003, she was elected a Fellow of the renowned Ashoka Innovators for the Public, a Washington-based Foundation that promotes innovative entrepreneurship in the voluntary sector worldwide. In 2008, she was felicitated as a Woman Achiever of the Year by the Sri Shanmukhananda Fine Arts and Sangeetha Sabha.

• Ms. Keshwar Dalal - Jt. Hon. Secretary
A qualified Primary teacher, Keshwar Dalal worked as a volunteer with the Spastics Society of India for 7 years and taught Pre-primary children at the J. B. Petit School for over 14 years. Having personally experienced the inadequacies of the education system, she spearheaded advocacy for educational reforms which would enable students with learning disabilities to complete their education successfully. Her untiring efforts led to the state government's recognition of dyslexia as a disability to be supported through accommodations being made available to children who needed them. She is on a number of Committees and represents MDA with state educational authorities, fervently driving for changes to be made in the system.

• Ms. Jyoti Row Kavi - Jt. Hon. Secretary
With over 25 years of experience in corporate communications with MNCs, Jyoti brings her skills and expertise to further the cause of dyslexia in the public eye. Actively promoting information in the media, Ms. Row Kavi is focused on disseminating knowledge about learning disabilities, through various channels of communication.

• Ms Tanaaz Shroff - Treasurer
On completing her Masters in Life Science, Tanaaz Shroff joined the Bombay Hospital where she worked in the Neuro-Path department for over 6 years. Currently she manages the accounts for MDA and ensures that the Association's investments and finances are in good order.

• Ms. Santhosh Rajan - Committee Member
Immensely creative by nature, Santhosh Rajan dabbles in several streams of the fine arts – be it theater, singing, dance, or painting. She has also written, directed and produced a play single-handedly. On completing her graduation, she worked for 8 years with the Minerals & Metals Trading Corporation and thereafter joined her husband to assist him in his new business venture.

• Ms. Meena Mody - Committee Member
A Graduate in Fine Arts from the J. J. School of Arts, Meena Mody used to conduct art classes from her home. She is now actively involved in organizing the multiple workshops that MDA conducts throughout the year.

• Dr. Indula Panchal - Committee Member
Dr. Panchal, an MD in Anesthesia, retired as Head of the Department of Anesthesia, T.N. Medical College & Nair Hospital in 2000, after 35 years of dedicated service. Currently she is free-lancing and is a part-time Professor in a private medical college. She is also Hon. Consultant at the Harkisondas Hospital and the Jagjivan Ram Railway Hospital, Mumbai.

• Ms Tehmi Morris - Committee Member
Tehmi Morris grew up in Hong Kong and moved to Mumbai after her marriage. She holds a Bachelors degree in Social Science and a Diploma from the Royal Society of Arts (UK) in Teaching English as a Foreign Language, and has worked at the British Council, Mumbai, in their English Studies department. Whether pitching in with administrative chores or focusing on fundraising, she brings considerable grace and skill to her enthusiastic support for the cause.

• Ms Purvi Chothani - Committee Member
On completing her L.L.B. from Bombay University, Ms. Chothani obtained a Masters in Law from the University of Pennsylvania. She has her own private practice and is the proprietor of a law firm, LawQuest, which deals with general and commercial law.

The MDA Team

• Masarrat Khan – CEO
Clinical Psychologist, Counsellor & Remedial Teacher An M.A. in Clinical Psychology & M.A. in English Literature from Bombay University, Masarrat has an invaluable experience of more than 20 years in the area of Learning Disabilities. She very competently heads MDA and has conscientiously steered its growth and expansion over the years. She has been responsible for developing MDA's unique internship programme and is the Course Coordinator for the Academic Language (Dyslexia) Therapy Training Programme. She is a visiting faculty at NIMH for the Continuing Rehabilitation Education (CRE) programmes of the Rehabilitation Council of India (RCI). She also conducts Training Programmes and Workshops for Parents, Psychologists, Special Educators and other professionals on various topics related to Learning Disability.

• Divya Balgi – Administrator
An Engineer by profession, Divya has over two decades of experience and worked in a Hong Kong based MNC based in India as their Liaison Office Manager for five years before joining the MDA. In an efficient and systematic manner, Divya oversees the entire administration and accounts at MDA thereby ensuring the smooth functioning of our various Resource Centres and outreach projects.

• Soona Machhi – Honorary, Administration
Ms. Machhi joined MDA in December 2006. She has brought in with her more than three and a half decades of experience in the corporate world and handles the administration of our Parel Centre very efficiently.

• Treesa Joseph – Project Coordinator, Social Worker
Treesa is an M.S.W. rank holder (1986) from Loyola College, Trivandrum. She brings to MDA a wealth of experience, having worked with NGOs and other organizations in the development sector for 20 years.

• Sunita Pagedar – Project Coordinator, Special Educator
Sunita is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Special Education from the State University of New York at Buffalo. She had 6 years of experience in the field, initially at the National Resource Centre for Inclusion, India as the Dy. Head, Research & Training, and with MDA as a Project Coordinator, prior to her leaving in 2004 for the U.S. to pursue doctoral studies.

• Nafisa Moochhala – Psychologist and Remedial Teacher
A respected and experienced remedial teacher, Nafisa has been working with children with learning disabilities for many decades in private practice. She holds a Masters degree in Child & Clinical Psychology and lectured at Mumbai University for a number of years. She has also been a Counselor at the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre Hospital. She effectively handles remedial programs for children with learning disabilities and shares her expertise with our faculty and parents alike.

• Jumana Shipchandler – Clinical Psychologist
An M.A. in Clinical Psychology from SNDT University, Mumbai, Jumana had worked for a year and a half in a Child Guidance Centre in Surat prior to joining MDA in July 2004. As a Senior Psychologist she trains the young graduates who have opted for our Internship Programme, in Psycho-Educational Assessment.

• Dhanashri Mekal – Clinical Psychologist
BHSC in Developmental Counselling from SNDT Women's University, Mumbai and a PG Diploma in Guidance & Counselling from SIES College, Mumbai, she also holds an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from SNDT University, Mumbai. A short stint at Dr. Radhakrishnan Vidyalaya gave her a valuable insight into the challenges at a mainstream school prior to joining MDA in December 2004. She currently does assessments at our Outreach Centre at Nashik.

• Swetha Shetty – Clinical Psychologist
With a special interest in the education of young children, Swetha studied for an ECCE diploma at ORT India, and ran classes and camps for pre-primary children before pursuing an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from SNDT University, Mumbai. Swetha joined MDA in August 2006.

• Deesha Pandya – Clinical Psychologist With Bachelor's degrees in Philosophy and Psychology from Mumbai University, Deesha completed her M.A. in Clinical Psychology from SNDT University in 2006 and trained for a year under an experienced Psychologist in a hospital setting before joining MDA in 2007.

• Lucy Martins – Counselling Psychologist and Special Educator
An M.A. in Counselling Psychology (Bombay University) and B.Ed. in Special Education (SNDT University, Mumbai), Lucy has worked at Sangath, Goa, Children's Orthopedic Hospital, Mumbai and Nalanda, a special school for children with learning disabilities, for over 6 years before joining MDA in 2002 as a special educator. Lucy has been responsible for devising MDA's Study Skills Programme.

• Gauri Pandit – Special Educator
With a B. Ed. in Special Education from SNDT University, Mumbai, Gauri joined MDA in August 1998. She now runs MDA's Centre at Dombivli and also heads the Special Education Department at Vidya Niketan School, Dombivli.

• Manek Chitalwala- Special Educator
With a B. A. in Psychology and Sociology from Mumbai University and a B. Ed. in Special Education from SNDT University, Mumbai, Manek gained valuable experience through voluntary work for NGOs prior to joining MDA in May 2003. She handles remedial programmes for children with learning disabilities and coordinates our outreach project at Muktangan, an English medium school for underprivileged students within the government school system.

• Fatima Martins – Special Educator
With an M.A. in English Literature from Mumbai University and a B. Ed. in Special Education from SNDT University, Mumbai, Fatima has worked for well over a decade as both a classroom teacher and a special educator in mainstream schools prior to joining MDA in June 2008. She brings with her a wealth of experience in the regular school system and conducts the Study Skills Programme for students with Learning Disabilities at MDA's Parel Centre as well as at colleges in Mumbai.

Susan George - Special Educator
A graduate in Psychology from Mumbai University, Susan has also completed an M.A. in Political Science and a B.Ed in Special Education from SNDT University, Mumbai. She has worked at Saplings and Father Agnel Multipurpose School, Vashi for several years as a special educator. She joined MDA in June 2008 and does remedial work with children.

Deepali Shah – Remedial Teacher
Deepali has completed an M.Sc in Human Development from Nirmala Niketan in 1995. She worked at School for Remedial Education as a remedial teacher initially, before taking over as Head Teacher of the Primary section from 2000-2004. She has been making valuable contributions to the intervention programmes at MDA since 2004.

The rest of our team includes:

Diya Basu - Clinical Psychologist

Avni Malhotra – Counselling Psychologist

More About our Services
Our team of highly trained, remarkably motivated professionals combines expertise with spirited fun at our Centres, which is valued by students and parents alike.

Individualized programmes are tailored to meet the needs of each student. Care is taken to involve the parents in their child's learning process throughout the school years by providing them support and guidance. All our Psychologists and Remedial Teachers are specially trained in the use of effective, scientifically developed programmes, and have several years experience working with students with learning issues.

As part of the programme they -
• Correspond with parents regularly about the child's individual challenges and progress.
• Advise them about how to deal with the child's individual learning difficulties, homework and home learning/support, and school and education authorities.
• Focus on academic achievement level through research-based, tried and tested programmes.
• Provide parents with strategies to preserve their child's self-esteem and deal with personal and emotional issues through the school years.