The Alumni UK Disability Inclusion Community of Practice (DI CoP) Steering Group is a committed, voluntary team of professionals, researchers, and advocates who are passionate about disability inclusion and channel this passion into supporting the community.

Our members bring lived experience of disability, alongside expertise spanning international development, education, technology, architecture, and the arts.

The Steering Group Role

The Steering Group provides strategic leadership and accountability for the DI CoP. Specifically, the group is responsible for:

  • Setting the strategic direction and annual priorities of the DI CoP.
  • Hosting the community gatherings and supporting ongoing communication.
  • Ensuring the community remains accessible, representative, and technically inclusive.
  • Overseeing the development of resources, events, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
  • Building partnerships with organisations advancing disability inclusion globally.
  • Representing the community to British Council and external stakeholders.

Members contribute voluntarily, bringing expertise from across the British Council’s global Alumni UK network. The group includes professionals working in policy, community practice, technology, research, and systems change.

Meet the members of our Disability Inclusion Steering Group.

Debra Callender

Debra Callender is a Caribbean Physiotherapist specialising in brain health and dementia care. She is an Alum of Brighton and Sussex Medical School.

Dr Alisa Nutley

Dr Alisa Nutley is a lecturer and researcher in the Faculty of Architecture at Chiang Mai University, Thailand. Her expertise lies in ageing, community-centred environments, and inclusive design. Alisa is an alum of the University of Birmingham.

Dr Mervat Mohm Al Mharat

Dr Mervat Mohm Al Mharat is an academic leader passionate about driving institutional development, fostering inclusive initiatives, and empowering communities to create lasting impact. She is an alum of Durham University.

Fareed Gombilla

Fareed Gombilla is a Social Development Officer, Disability Inclusion Facilitator, and assistive technology trainer, with an interest in law, dedicated to advancing accessibility and disability rights across policy, technology, and community development. Fareed is an alum of SOAS University of London.

Fella Bader

Fella Bader is a deaf entrepreneur and advocate from Algeria who believes in turning challenges into opportunities. With a Master’s in Entrepreneurship and Innovation, she runs her family business while actively supporting disability advocacy. Fella is an alum of Nottingham Trent University.

John Femi Abe

John Femi Abe is a Global Data & AI Architect and long-standing volunteer in youth development and disability inclusion initiatives across Africa, Europe, and the EMEA region. He is an alum of London Metropolitan University.

Maurie van den Heever

Maurie van den Heever is an Information Management System Coordinator at GoodX Software, with an MBA from Edinburgh Business School, Heriot-Watt University, strives to empower people with disabilities in advancing their education and transitioning into employment, drawing from his own experience with brain damage and epilepsy.

Mayra Alexandra Valencia Aragón

Mayra Alexandra Valencia Aragón is a qualified lawyer with a Master of Laws (LL.M) in human rights from UCL. She is passionate about advancing equality through international collaboration.

Opeolu Akinola

Opeolu Akinola specializes in digital inclusion by empowering visually impaired individuals to use computers and smartphones for study, work, and leisure. Opeolu believes true inclusion arises from empowering individuals and raising awareness among stakeholders, breaking down barriers through technology and education. He is an alum of University of Leeds.

Priyasha Sharma

Priyasha Sharma, MSc is a Project Associate at the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, working on public health projects. She also serves as an external consultant to the World Health Organisation in India. Her practice is grounded in equity and informed by the lived experience of mental health and an autoimmune condition. She is an alum of UCL.

See also