As Professional: Hindi language translator/Writer/Playwright/Poet/filmmaker:
I have been a freelance translator from the past ten years. I have worked with various publications like Katha and Penguin and have recently finished a translation work for two American Authors. I have written several plays and also made corporate films as well as documentaries on disability issues. Have done translations assignments for websites as well as organization like TLM (The Leprosy Mission). My work as poet has also been published in two of the poetry anthologies .
Few Translation Works:
Translation works:
Fatima Bhutto: Songs of Blood and Sword
Sonia Fulero: Beautiful Things
George Ellis: Symphony of Silence
Plays: Bebe ka Chamba; Meera; Sohbat; Bodhikatha
Experience as Autism Advocate:
I am a parent of a special need person with Autism. I have been actively involved with Autism Advocacy from the past 20 years. Over the years I have been involved in various activities for spreading Autism Awareness, represented Autism Community in the drafting committee for the RPWD Act, have been instrumental in setting up the Autism website for the National Trust, have helped various organizations in setting up systems and help them grow .
Besides this I write and speak on the issues related to parenting on various forums.
I have been actively involved in community mobilization and have been focused from the past ten years in the field of Assisted Living.
Four years back I created a forum on social media: Forum for Assisted Living Solutions which has more than 2000 stakeholders. The primary aim of this forum is to collate information on the development in this field. Sharing the updates on the best practices and upcoming models across the country are listed here.
ALAP: Assisted Living for Autistic Persons
I am the founder Trustee of this Trust which provides residential facilities to the persons with Autism. The young adults live here independently and learning daily living skills. Today we have four full time residents and four who come in various programs for respite. I also provide consultancy to another organization working in the field of Assisted Living.
My focus and aim is to provide solutions to the one primary question; What after us? As the population of special needs persons are growing up and have entered their adulthood, the major challenges that as a society we would be faced with is how and where to provide spaces when the parents get old and would not be in the position to be there forever for their children,as the shrinking family structures have reduced the support that earlier joint family systems used to provide.
Neena Wagh