Dr. Ajith Chrysantha Stephen Perera

Dr. Ajith Chrysantha Stephen Perera, JP, CChem., FRSC is a Chartered Chemist by Profession, a scholar, a former senior manager in industry, a qualified training instructor and also a former test-match-panel Cricket Umpire.

He is the founder and, as of 15 February 2010, holds the honorary position of Chief Executive / Secretary-General of IDIRIYA - a registered, not-for-profit humanitarian service organisation in Sri Lanka.

Almost on the eve of umpiring his first cricket test match in Colombo, Sri Lanka vs New Zealand, a large wayside tree crashed on and straddled his moving car, killing his chauffer and leaving him instantaneously paraplegic.

Perera is still ‘Not Out’ at the crease, playing a straight bat to life’s googlies.  His personal experience caused him to become a disability rights activist and an advisor on accessibility to built environments'. He has argued in favour of a more productive society that aspires to meet the day-to-day needs of people with diverse abilities and, campaigns for all-inclusive built environments in Sri Lanka.

You can find out more at his Wikipedia entry here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ajith_C._S._Perera