Dr Priyadarshani

Dr Priyadarshani credits her CII training at ADAPT, supported by TWC, as her first formal experience in disability and inclusion, apart from her higher education in Sociology. Prior to this, she worked as an assistant lecturer at the Department of Sociology, University of Peradeniya, and later as an Instructor in Social Work at the Department of Paediatrics, University of Colombo. Recommended by Professor Samanmali Sumanasena, her CII training significantly shaped her advocacy work in disability inclusion.

Post-training, Dr Pri focused on promoting inclusive education for children with disabilities, leading workshops for parents, teachers, and officials. She addressed infrastructure and technology barriers in schools and encouraged undergraduates to contribute to local publications on inclusion. Dr Pri also played a pivotal role in establishing an early intervention clinic at Lady Ridgeway Hospital together with Prof Samanmali Sumanasena, supporting parents through early intervention and creating a peer counselling network for mothers. She later transitioned to the University of Peradeniya as a
Sociology lecturer, where she supported students with disabilities through various initiatives, including a reading club, audiobooks, career guidance, and Braille support.

Currently in France for postdoctoral research, Dr Pri plans to return to Sri Lanka. She has supervised an
undergraduate research study on the impact of an inclusive academic environment on the life satisfaction of students with disabilities in higher education, with special reference to the University of Peradeniya, where she is teaching and researching.

This year, she reconnected with the CII 2025 program and introduced two of her students with a social work background to pursue CII training at ADAPT with financial support from The Women’s Council UK. Her interest in disability and inclusion led her to collaborate with the Ayati National Centre for Children with Disabilities to promote student self-advocacy and policy improvements.

She is also a member of the Sri Lanka Association for Child Development and has authored an educational booklet titled The Way Forward with Down Syndrome: An Information Booklet for Families of Persons with Disabilities, co-authored with Prof Samanmali Sumanasena.