They do high-precision work with perfect ease

Being mentally-disabled is not a handicap

October 22, 2014 09:22 am | Updated May 23, 2016 04:01 pm IST - MYSORE:

Persons with disabilities working on printed circuit boards at a private firm in Mysore.

Persons with disabilities working on printed circuit boards at a private firm in Mysore.

It is hard to distract this group of employees bent over the printed circuit boards (PCBs) in front of them at Vinyas Innovative Technologies in Koorgalli Industrial Area in Mysore. Overlooked by a mentor, they carefully go about inserting capacitors into the slots.

All of them are persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities (PWIDD) working in a high-precision industry that manufactures and exports PCBs to companies manufacturing electronic goods not only in India, but also abroad.

“They are very good at their work, which is repetitive. They do not get bored or fatigued,” said N. Narendra, managing director of Vinyas.

Ram Appaiah, who mans the reception, is among the 10 persons with mental disabilities employed at the company. With him at the reception, it is pretty much impossible for employees to avoid any phone calls.

“If employees ask Ram to tell the caller they are not in the office, Ram tells the caller that the employee is saying that he/she is not in the office and puts the call through,” Mr. Narendra said.

Kaynes Technology and Rangsons Electronics, two other companies manufacturing PCBs in the industrial area, have also employed 18 and five persons with mental disabilities respectively.

“They are completely focused on the job at hand. Their daily output is sometimes better than the normal employees,” says Lt. Col. Sharath Bhatt, senior vice-president, Business Development, Kaynes Technology.

As an electronic sub-assembly hub, Mysore exports goods worth around Rs. 500 crore to Rs. 600 crore every year.

A total of 40 persons with mental disabilities are employed in these companies, said Ajit Bharathan, secretary of Mysore District Parents’ Association for Empowering Developmentally Disabled (MDPAEDD).

The employees, who are paid wages and other allowances on a par with others, undergo job-specific training provided by MDPAEDD for six months before joining work. “We have trained around 17 more persons. They are awaiting appointment,” Mr. Bharathan said.

For persons with more severe mental disabilities, the association provides sheltered employment, where they pack and seal dry fruits in plastic covers for Loyal World’s supermarket chain in Mysore.

Mr. Bharathan said remarkable changes were observed after they started working. Their communication skills had greatly improved. “They know when they get their salary. Some of them even bought gifts for their family members from the bonus they got recently,” he added.

MDPAEDD, which was established in 2009 to enhance the life of people with mental retardation, autism, multiple disabilities and cerebral palsy, was recently awarded the prestigious Spandan Award 2014 for Best Parent Organisation by the National Trust, Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

MDPAEDD is now planning to build a Group Home with Respite Care and other facilities. Call Mr. Bharathan on 9880791201 for details.

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