For the last three years, 29-year-old Shankar Chandrashekar, who is visually challenged, has been working in an IT firm. The job itself is a big struggle, he said, and career progression is very limited for a person with disability. “Though many disabled persons, especially visually impaired, may be talented, the maximum designation they can expect in a software firm right now is that of a software tester,” says Mr. Chandrashekar, who is a senior software tester.
Many differently-abled people in the workforce, like Mr. Chandrashekar, feel that their career growth is stunted. A lot more needs to be done to make the workspace truly inclusive, they said.
A person with visual impairment says, “Our office has done everything necessary to make the workspace accessible. We have ramps, passages with Braille labels and lifts with voice access. However, there are still a lot of barriers that have been left unaddressed. These are in the minds of our colleagues and in the internal tools that are needed for completing our jobs. For instance, if a visually impaired person wants to create an application, he has to use a code editor. But if the company has not invested in screen readers, these tools become inaccessible to us.”
Greater sensitisation
They also highlighted the need for greater sensitisation among colleagues on working with a person with disabilities. “While awareness about disability should start from school, companies should have sensitisation workshops for employees on the subject,” says Mr. Chandrashekar.
Organisations working in the space of disability said that provisions of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 must be implemented in letter and spirit.
G.N. Nagaraj, president, Karnataka State Disabled and Caregivers Federation, says, “The Act ensures that the rights of disabled persons are safeguarded in all respects, including employment. But the State government has not even finished framing the rules, which are necessary for implementation of the Act. The Act places an obligation on private and government employers to ensure jobs for persons with disabilities. Until such employment opportunity is provided, those who are unemployed must be given a maintenance allowance of ₹5,000.”
‘Bengaluru more inclusive than other cities’
A decade ago, entry into the corporate world for a differently-abled person was often an insurmountable barrier. And while sensitisation and inclusivity have to be addressed, there has been a positive shift in how a person with disability is viewed in the workplace.
“Corporations are not looking at the disability, but the kind of talent a person can bring to the company. This kind of conversation around disability was not there a decade ago,” said Mukta Kulkarni, professor, Organisational Behaviour and Human Resources Management and Mphasis chair for digital accessibility and inclusion at Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore.
She recently collaborated with four professors of the University of Michigan-Dearborn, Oregon State University, University of St. Gallen in Switzerland and Tulane University, New Orleans on a paper on how people with disabilities are treated in organisations. It was recently published in Human Resource Management journal.
In the Indian context, Bengaluru is way ahead of other cities in terms of understanding and accepting persons with disabilities. “Hiring in the city has also improved in the recent past. We are seeing more companies showing greater awareness about disabilities,” she added.
But, there is still a long way to go. The paper, which reviewed 88 empirical studies from management, rehabilitation, psychology and sociology research, found multiple gaps in the studies.
“What we found is that there is no clear definition and measurements of the key constructs of workplace treatment and discrimination. This may lead us to overstate or understate the forms of treatments experienced by persons with disabilities. Also, most studies have been conducted in the United States with U.S. samples, which may or may not be true for other countries. Thirdly, the term disability across studies suggests homogeneity across disabilities. There is no breakup on the type of disability, severity and onset age. This limits our understanding of workplace treatment,” she said.
The paper recommended more research collaboration between human resource researchers and practitioners to support the development of more inclusive workplaces.
Need for assistive technologies
While there are several assistive technologies worldwide for autism, cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, hearing and visual impairment, they are expensive to procure and often don't suit Indian needs. There is a need to create assistive devices indigenously, which can be made available at affordable rates, said Mukta Kulkarni, IIMB professor.
On December 6, the IIMB will be showcasing some of the Made-in-India solutions. The event, held in collaboration with EnAble India, will highlight barriers to social inclusion, some of which can be reduced by assistive technology. A panel discussion will be held on disability-related inclusion.
“From something as common as spectacles to a sophisticated electric wheelchair, assistive devices can be very enabling for persons with disabilities. This support system affords a life of dignity, physical safety, reduced dependency, lowers likelihood of social isolation and increased economic independence,” said Ms. Kulkarni.
In the last few years, a few organisations have been working towards providing better products, including mobility devices by Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India and Ostrich Mobility, communication devices such as Avaz and Talk for autism, applications for children with intellectual disabilities by Centre for Development of Advanced Computing.
“This is not enough though. There is a huge market for such products, which innovators should try to tap,” said Ms. Kulkarni.
