Ajith Chrysantha Stephen Perera, JP, CChem., FRSC (29 February 1956 – 29 October 2020)[1] was a Chartered Chemist by profession, a scholar, a former senior manager in industry, a qualified training instructor, also a former test-match-panel cricket umpire.

[2][3] The international admiration Perera has won and the national recognition he has gained have come through his achievements, acquired both in Sri Lanka and in England in different fields: cricket, analytical chemistry and quality assurance, in all of which he was academically and professionally well qualified and widely experienced.

[4][5] 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 chauffeur and leaving him instantaneously a paraplegic for life.

[4][6][7][3] He was a writer, speaker, author and a disability rights activist - as a fervent advocate for inclusion of all people by design - most importantly as a widely experienced and highly competent accessibility adviser and assessor, recognised by three learned societies and several reputed bodies overseas.

Born to Instructor Commodore M. G. S. Perera (1 June 1917 – 10 August 1999), Founder and the First Commandant Naval & Maritime Academy Trincomalee, the First and Foremost Director of Naval Training, Royal Ceylon Navy,[9][10] and former Senior Staff Captain / Nautical Instructor (Training of Deck Officer Cadets) Ceylon Shipping Corporation (1977–1983)[11] and Maureen Johanna Perera (19 February 1924 - 22 October 2019), he has one sister, Deepthi C. J. Guneratne BSc (Botany), MSc (Soil Chemistry).

[17] Perera then changed over to the cosmetics and healthcare industry when Hemas Manufacturing Limited invited him to join them in August 1992 as the Director – Senior Manager of quality assurance and product development.

But it was only 14 weeks service there for Perera, as a freak road accident on 12 November 1992 made him instantaneously a paraplegic for life and cut short tragically, at the age of 36, his professional career that was just blossoming out.

Ajith would not surrender and from that wheel seat upheld by his caring mother, close family and dear companions faced life's conflict boldly, composing books on Cricket and all the more critically advocating the reason for the contrastingly abled as himself.

He established IDIRIYA a non-profit philanthropic association to look for regulations to disclose it required for all structures to have access to the distinctively abled and surprisingly tied down a High Court judgment to help his objective.

described Perera's endeavours as:[20] "Even in those early days, the perceived extent of his unbridled enthusiasm, the level of his intended personal commitment, analytical mind, high degree of technical knowledge of the game and its governing laws, plus his unquenchable thirst for newer knowledge and practical experience at higher level of the game together with his willingness to further improve individual performance, made Perera to decide to go to England, several times at his own expense, to achieve this goal".

[3][4] For 15 weeks of the British summer in 1990, Perera, afforded the opportunity, umpired cricket matches in England in Lancashire County four-day Second Eleven and in top Leagues in the area, viz.

[7] On 30 January 2003, Perera and 15 other Retired Test Match and One-day International Panel Senior Cricket Umpires of Sri Lanka were recognised for the dedicated long years of Thankless Services rendered to the game and felicitated.

Perera for the petitioner present again in person saw the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka order on 17 June 2013 the Agencies of the State to ensure that those of them who are disabled or with restricted ability be given every opportunity to integrate freely with the community.

[46][47] For the first time in Sri Lanka history, with endeavors to make hear their voices in the Parliament, Perera led a group of professionals and intellectuals with restricted ability to contest the Parliamentary Elections of 17 August 2015.

Then again in October 2018, Perera stated: Despite 13 years elapsing since a comprehensive set of Access Regulations were made and passed unanimously in Parliament AND reinforced by an Order given under SCFR 221/2009 to over 70 respondents by the Supreme Court on 27 April 2011 AND Sri Lanka on 8 February 2016 ratifying the legally binding agreement of UN Convention for the Protection of the Rights of the disabled, STILL, there is large scale and substantial non-compliance of NEW constructions with and non-enforcement of Accessibility Regulations.Perera fights to arrest destructive marginalisation.

[53] His renewed endeavours were aimed here at minimising tormenting consequences continually STILL faced by, not less than an estimated 20% of Sri Lanka's population – i.e. 4 Million People – experiencing impediments to their physical mobility, stability, dexterity and / or eyesight – in accessing and using in daily life even the NEW constructions.

[32] Undeterred by his personal adversity, playing eight different roles over 17 consecutive years for the promotion of Accessibility Rights in Sri Lanka, he was recognised and appreciated in 2016 for his outstanding voluntary contributions to the community – please see below.

Perera has also captured here the brilliance, the philosophy and the pulsating drama of one-day internationals (ODIs) of that glorious period (1996–98) backed by highly informative and well tabulated appendices.