AHMEDABAD, GUJARAT, INDIA: Financial independence of people with disabilities enables them to lead a better life and also become part of the mainstream. The employment opportunities for disabled people can be increased by their skill development.

However, only skill development is not enough, people with disabilities have to face a lot of hurdles and obstacles before they are hired. After recruitment also they may face discrimination due to ignorance and lack of sensitization.

To address the challenges faced by them in recruitment, a workshop was recently held in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. The #DisabilityConfidence at Workplace was held with the collaboration between The Department for International Development (DfID)-Government of United Kingdom, Skill Council for Persons with Disabilities (SCPwD) – Ministry of Skill Development & Entrepreneurship (GOI) and v-shesh.

The workshop was attended by disabled participants as well as employers who highlighted the various aspects involved in the recruitment of disabled people. it was an inclusive event that created a positive impact on the participants.

The main areas of discussion at the workshop included

• Barriers in recruitment
• How Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016 is an opportunity to improve HR practices
• Range of equal opportunities good practices for workplace.

The workshop saw the participation of employers from various fields such as IT Business Processing, Financial Services, Hospitality & Retail, and Manufacturing.

A key highlight of the workshop was a demonstration by the team from Blind People’s Association. The team depicted how a completely blind person can carry out work in office whether it is IT or other sectors. The workshop acted as an eye opener for a number of employers who realized that workplace inclusion can be easily implemented with simple considerations.

It goes without saying that inclusive workplace are the need of the hour. There are a lot people with disabilities that are good at their work in different areas and employers can use their talents by making offices inclusive.

“I head two initiatives both are inclusive workplaces”, says Anuradha Krishnamoorthy, Founder, Krea eKnowledge Pvt Ltd. and Can DO, a CSR initiative, that provides training and employment for people with disabilities.

She also says,” My personal observation is that having such an inclusive workplace is very symbiotic. It provides opportunities for the so called normal individuals to be aware of the specific needs of PwDs. In fact when other employees see the commitment and work ethics of the disabled people, they are in turn motivated to perform better.”