SUNITA SHAH
Chair

Sunita Shah Graduated from Leeds Metropolitan University in 1999, working with Bilingualism and Aphasia was the topic for her dissertation.  Since then she has worked with an adult and paediatric case load.  Sunita worked in Sandwell NHS Trust, East Cheshire NHS.  Currently she works as a Clinical Lead for the Clinic Team and Bilingual Specialist for the Paediatric Team (Including Speech and Language Therapists, Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists) for NHS Brent.  Brent is an ethnically diverse area, there are over 120 languages spoken by the community that is served.   

Sunita provides training across the UK and Northern Ireland in bi/multilingual matters and Cultural Competency.  She annually hosts a training day in Belfast Northern Ireland at the Centre for Professional Development.  She is an Honorary Lecturer in Bilingualism at Essex University for the Post Graduate Course.  Sunita has provided training for Great Ormond Street Hospital, Children’s Trust Tadworth, and Norwich and Berkshire PCTs.  Sunita has also developed and delivers training in the field of bilingualism for ICAN, the national charity that supports the development of all children's communication skills.

Sunita has a private practice called “Together Let’s Communicate (TLC) which is based in North West London.  She has the opportunity to see a range of children with Speech, Language and Communication Needs aged 2-16 years.

Sunita has been the Chair of the London Sig Bilingualism since 2005.  She is an advisor to the Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists (RCSLT) in Bilingualism.  In Autumn 2010, Sunita was involved with RCSLT developing an on-line e-learning programme “working with bilingual families”.

TANVI SHAH
Treasurer

Tanvi Shah is a multilingual Speech and Language Therapist. She graduated from Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh in 2003, with bilingual children being the subject of her dissertation. Since qualifying she has worked in a variety of settings with children, e.g. Community Clinics, Nurseries, Mainstream Schools, Special Schools and Sure Start Children’s Centres. Tanvi is a Specialist in Bilingualism and is a committee member of the London SIG Bilingualism. She has also been involved in developing the first e-learning module on Bilingualism with the RCSLT advisors.

Being multilingual, Tanvi has been able to use her language skills during therapy.  She has fluency in written and oral Gujarati, basic knowledge in Swahili, French and German, Signalong Phase 1 and Makaton Level 1. She has also taken the opportunity to attend multilingual and multicultural conferences in other countries, set up by Comité Permanent de Liaison des Orthophonistes / Logopedes de l'Union Européenne. (CPLOL - is the Standing Liaison Committee of Speech and Language Therapists / Logopedists in the European Union).

Tanvi also regularly attends the Communication Therapy International Specific Interest Group study days to keep up to date with colleagues doing voluntary work in other countries. Tanvi has done voluntary work and training in Kenya and would like to continue to give something back to her home country.

AMI MATHUR
Secretary

Ami Mathur is a Specialist Speech and Language Therapist working in Ealing.  She graduated from University College London in 1999 and has worked mainly with children in a variety of settings e.g. mainstream primary schools, children's centres, community clinic.  Currently she works in an ICAN accredited Specialist Speech and Language Nursery (SLN) and is the SLT Team Leader for the SLN provisions in Ealing.  Ami is the Secretary of the London SIG Bilingualism and is a Regional Makaton Tutor.

Ami lectures MSc and BSc Speech Science students at University College London on Bilingual Theory, Assessment and Intervention.  Ami also develops and delivers training in the field of bilingualism for ICAN, the national charity that supports the development of all children's communication skills.

Amita has actively contributed in promoting bi/multilingual and multicultural issues at both a local and national level since 1987, when she first joined the National Special Interest Group (SIG) in Bilingualism and subsequently the London SIG in Bilingualism. She has also developed and delivered training programmes related to Bilingualism and multicultural issues to a range of audiences including SLT colleagues, Teaching colleagues and Educational Psychologists. Much of the early work Amita did forms the foundation of the resources that can be accessed via this website.

Ami speaks Marwadi - a dialect of Hindi and has some Hindi and Gujarati language skills.

CHRISTINE RASCHKA
Research, Training and Development

Christine qualified as a Speech and Language Therapist from Newcastle University in the early ‘90s but has largely held academic positions in areas such as applied linguistics and TESOL. More recently she has returned to the profession by teaching Speech and Language Therapy students at the University of East Anglia. 

Her specific areas of interest are around language acquisition (maintenance and change), as well as language disability in culturally and linguistically diversity populations.

Christine is fluent in oral and written German

NABIAH SOHAIL
Public Relations

Nabiah Sohail is a multilingual Specialist Speech and Language Therapist who is able to speak, read and write Urdu and has spoken language skills in Hindi and Punjabi.  Nabiah graduated from City University in 2006 and since qualifying has worked in several paediatric settings for the Integrated Speech and Language Therapy Service for Hackney and the City.  Her specialism is Mainstream Primary and Bilingualism and she is devoted to promoting language and cultural diversity. 

Nabiah has a keen interest in research and is currently working on Hackney’s Bercow Commissioning Pathfinder.  Aside to her career in Speech and Language Therapy, Nabiah is involved in research in the field of phonetics and phonology which stemmed from working for Scotland Yard as an Assistant Forensic Phonetician.  Her research is linked to bilingual speech sound production and interference which has led to publications of research papers and presentations at the National and International Phonetics and Phonology Associations. 

AMITA RAVAL
Honarary Member

Amita Raval, one of the first Kenyans to be trained as a Speech and Language Therapist (SLT), is multilingual.  

Acknowledgements
Francesca Buxton
Seema Garg
Ed Hooke
Merle Mahon
Jane Stokes
Rita Thakaria
Cathy Watson
Previous London SIG Bilingualism Members
National SIG Bilingualism