Employment of Persons with Disabilities Opportunities and Challenges

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Employment of Persons with DisabilitiesOpportunit
ies and Challenges

• Sachin Verma
• Co-founder
• AccessAbility EmployAbility

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About AccessAbility

• AccessAbility is a leading Universal Design and
  Disability Employment Specialist empowering
  organisations to welcome, engage, and service
  diversity by helping them create an inclusive and
  barrier free environment.
• Employability is a first of its kind online job
  portal.
• The project was launched by AccessAbility a year
  ago and the website was revamped in March 2008.
• The aim of the portal is to provide a common
  platform for disabled jobseekers, equal
  opportunity employers and NGOs or Individuals
  working towards employment of persons with
  disabilities.

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Employment some key facts
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Skilled Talent Shortage

• A recent survey found
• 58 of the respondents from the IT-BPO sector in
  India find shortage of skilled manpower to be a
  key concern their sector is facing.
• 20 is the rate of attrition in the Financial
  Services sector, exerting a lot of pressure on
  companies in terms of recruitment, training and
  retention costs.
• 23.7 (CAGR) is the expected rate of growth in
  employment in the Organised Retail industry, with
  number of persons employed by the industry
  growing from 301,000 people in the year 2007 to
  570,000 people by the year 2010.
• Aspire CII (2008). India Skills Report Card
  2008, Aspire Human Capital Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi.

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PwD Statistics

• Official Estimates
• Census Report (2001)
• 2.13 or 21.91 Million PwDs
• National Samples Survey (2002)
• 1.8 or 18.5 Million PwDs
• The differences in aggregate estimates is in part
  explainable on the basis of different definitions
  used in the NSS and Census for disabilities
• Alternative Estimates
• 4-8 or 40 million to 80 million PwDs in India
• United Nations estimates 10 of world population
  are persons with disabilities

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Legislation

• The PwD Act 95 mandates a reservation of 3 for
  persons with disabilities on identified posts in
  the public sector (only).
• UNCRPD focuses on Equal Opportunities it
  asserts the right to the opportunity to gain a
  living by work freely chosen or accepted in a
  labour market.
• As per Article 27 all State parties are required
  to Promote the employment of persons with
  disabilities in the private sector through
  appropriate policies and measures, which may
  include affirmative action programmes, incentives
  and other measures.

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Diversity do we have a solution?
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Common Barriers to PwD Employment

• Attitudes of
• Family
• Society
• Peers
• Self

• Lack of resources
• Specialist Recruiters
• Published Resources
• Information on
• Assistive Technology
• or Aids

• Access to
• Education
• Workplace
• Transport
• Information
• Cost effective Assistive Aids
• Appliances

• Awareness about
• Disability
• Existing Policies
• Potential

• Skills gap
• Educational
• Technical
• Lack of exposure to
• Workplace Skills

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Challenges

• Employers
• Lack
• Awareness or understanding of PwDs Potential
• A clear diversity strategy to ensure equal
  opportunities in recruitment, retention and
  career development.
• Hiring timelines/pressures
• Recruiters overlook PwDs, make assumptions.
• Unconventional hiring channels
• Where does one look?
• Costs
• Accessibility

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Challenges

• Job Seekers
• Skills Gap
• From what the industry wants, to what they offer
• Lack of exposure to
• Work life skills
• Latest Technology
• Career Guidance
• Access to
• Education
• Information
• Transport
• Workplace

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The Business Case

• A few of the benefits that companies have seen
  are
• Improved retention rates.
• Staff morale and team development are enhanced
  when businesses are seen to be equal opportunity
  employers.
• Organisations which have succeeded in empowering
  disabled employees through creative and flexible
  adjustments in the work environment have found it
  easier to motivate and empower the contribution
  of all other employees.
• Improves the public image of the organisation by
  showing that, apart from economic benefits, it
  also pursues social objectives.
• Greater attractiveness of shares as companies in
  the fast growing ethical investment markets.

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Interesting Survey

• An internal survey conducted on our website
  revealed the following
• Several persons with disabilities working
  successfully as
• Programmer
• Test Technician
• Head - Business Excellence
• Sr. MIS Executive
• Lead Software Developer
• Access Consultant
• Assistant Manager Accounts commercial
• Service Co-Ordinator
• Asst Manager Accounts
• Officer - Finance
• Public Relations Officer
• Postal Assistant
• Analyst

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Interesting Survey

• 2.6 Years (the average work experience at their
  present occupation)
• 5.7 Years (Average total work experience)
• 16 placed through Campus
• 8 through Newspaper Advertisements
• 8 through NGO Placement Cells
• 13 through Job Portals
• 25 through Referrals
• 29 through Other sources

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Interesting Survey

• 79 say they have peers who are disabled
• 45 say they approach the senior management with
  any disability specific issues, followed by 37
  who say they approach their peers at workplace.
• 75 say their employers were aware of their
  disability before they were interviewed.
• 50 say they will only change their job if they
  are offered a better profile and a better salary.

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Way forward Behold the turtle. He makes
progress only when he sticks his neck out.-
James Bryant Conant -
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Thank You