Mithu Alur

In 1999, Alur established the National Resource Centre for Inclusion (NRCI), in Mumbai, to include disabled children from special schools into normal schools. The Spastics Society of India has since changed names and is currently called ADAPT – Able Disable All People Together. Many of the state level spastics societies under the aegis of The Spastics Society of India have also changed names since.

Alur's research work has been instrumental in guiding government policy for people with disability. Her 1998 PhD thesis "Invisible Children – A Study of Policy Exclusion", also published as a book in 2003, examined the Government of India's policy for the disabled. It followed the evolution of educational policy in India for disabled children with specific reference to the Government of India's pre-school programme called the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS). Her research found massive exclusion of children and people with disabilities from services and even from Government programmes targeted at the vulnerable and weaker sections of society to the extent of nutrition being denied to children with disabilities. Her finding that over 90% people with disabilities, i.e. close to around 70 million people, are excluded from services of any kind provided the seminal statistics for those working in the disability sector to push for better care of people with disabilities.

Later she set up the first-ever special school in India for children with cerebral palsy, "Centre for Special education" at Colaba on 2 October 1973, providing education and treatment facilities under one roof. It began with just three children – Malini Chib, Farhan Contractor and Imtiaz. Nargis Dutt remained its lifelong patron. After her death in 1981, her mantle was taken up by her husband, Sunil Dutt.

Alur is a pioneer in the care and education of people with Neuro-Muscular and Developmental Disabilities, like cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities. After her daughter Malini Chib was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, she realised that the care of people with conditions like her daughter was non-existent in India. Hence she trained in England and started the Spastics Society of India (SSI) in 1972. Many parents and friends of people with disability in India took inspiration and training from her and her institute to start respective spastics' societies in different states and today independent Spastic societies exist in 16 states in India with outreach to many rural areas as well.

Back home in India, she wanted to open a school in Mumbai, and contacted the then Prime Minister of India, Mrs. Indira Gandhi. Mrs. Gandhi asked her to get in touch with actress, Nargis Dutt. Nargis Dutt became the first patron of The Spastics Society of India (SSI), which formally started on 2 October 1972.

Malini was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Finding that no proper school for children with disabilities exited in India, in 1968 she trained as a teacher in the field of special education at the Institute of Education (IOE), University of London.

Alur was born and raised in Kolkata. She did her higher education in Delhi in Miranda House. She acquired a bachelor's degree in English literature from the University of Delhi in 1963. In 1965, she married Ranjit Chib. A year later Malini Chib was born.

Mithu Alur (born 27 March 1943 and usually referred to as Dr. Mithu Alur) is the founder chairperson of The Spastic Society of India – now rechristened ADAPT – Able Disable All People Together. She is an educator, disability rights activist, researcher, writer and published author on issues concerning people with disability in India.