Professional Development

2007 Heartspring Award for Innovation and Creativity in Special Education

Merry Barua from India
Merry Barua is the founder of autism services in India, the second largest country in the world with an estimated 4 million individuals with autism. Merry knows first hand what it is like to have a child with autism. Her son, now 27, gives her an inside perspective as a parent as well as a professional in the autism community. She began her work in the early 1990s which she calls the “dark ages” of autism in India. Merry says she began her work “as an awareness builder, teacher, trainer, activist, counselor and then some.” Merry educated herself and then home schooled her son for 1 ½ years. She was so excited by his progress that she decided to open a school.

Merry founded the first program in India for Children with autism. The program, Action for Autism in New Delhi, provides parent training, professional training, a print publication called The Autism Network, and an innovative “Mother Child Program.” This 12-week program provides hands-on training for mothers and their children to learn together with other families living with autism. She is also very involved with public policy and legislative efforts to improve the opportunities for children with autism. As Merry says, “it is not just about special education, it is about changing all of society.” She has become a tremendous influence for change in her country, and yet, after a few days at Heartspring, she tells us that she must dream bigger.

Action for Autism has hosted national and international speakers at more than 100 workshops in India and surrounding countries. For many years they worked out of an apartment building.
In 1962 Indira Ghandi visited the Institute of Logopedics here in Wichita. In 2005 Merry moved into their own facility. Sonia Ghandi, daughter-in-law of Indira Ghandi was there for the official opening of the facility.

Merry’s work amazingly parallels the work of Hope in China, whom we recognized in 2004. The Stars and Rain Education Institute for Autism in China subsequently became a sister organization with Heartspring. Action for Autism in India has agreed to become a sister organization as well. We look forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship.

Please join us as we honor Merry Barua with the 2007 Heartspring Award for Innovation and Creativity in Special Education.