People with disabilities or PwDs are often treated as incompatible among general public. While to an extent they do have a few drawbacks compared to the fully abled people, that does not necessarily render them unfit in a professional environment. Unfortunately, however, more often than not, they aren’t hired by the organised sector.Tackling this issue, the Youth 4 Jobs organisation in a tie-up with the State government came up with CPDL ---Centre for Person with Disability Livelihoods. The initiative tracks down disabled children from their socially lower backgrounds, trains them in life skills and social skills and puts them through a recruiting process, ensuring a good 100 per cent better chance at being incorporated in the organised sector.CPDL which began in October last year has thus far trained many PwD and as recent as the last Saturday, produced a batch of 22 people with disability graduates. Said Meera Shenoy, the executive director of CPDL, “Since October last year to now, we’ve trained about 2,000 people who have been absorbed into the hospitality sector, manufacturing, cash clerks and data entry level.”For an operation that began just about a year ago, the figure 2,000 is a staggering one. “True. People find it hard to believe; their jaws literally drop. But we have dedicated ourselves entirely to this project. What we have done is take these people in small batches for three months, train them in basic English and other subjects like mathematics and so on, depending on that person’s disposition. We also now train them in basic computers. Once they’re trained, they face the recruitment.”However, for the CPDL, the biggest challenge doesn’t exactly lie in finding recruiters, but in finding PwDs and getting them to come to them.“Most of them are among the lower economic strata of society. So tracking them is the first hurdle; they are dispersed over a wide region. When we started off, my managers and everybody personally went out into the villages looking for these people. Once we had a decent number, convincing them that they could dare dream of holding a regular job and convincing their parents to let these children come stay at the facility was tougher. Most of them have never been given or even heard of people like them being given the opportunity we were promising. So they were naturally weary.”However, the team managed to not only convince the PwDs to give themselves a shot but also get the corporate sector interested.Trust for Retailers and Retail Associates of India (TRRAIN), a private organisation that deals in providing guidance to retailers, tied up with CPDL to provide the necessary retail support. They approached companies along with them, trying to convince them to give these people a chance.Says B S Nagesh, the founder of TRRAIN, “Before we spoke to companies, we surveyed the market and identified job profiles for PwDs. Out of 110 or so, we came up with about 37 roles that could be given to them. With the attrition level high among the normally employed, we realised these people would be better employees, providing stability in the retail market.”Adds Meera, “Its all about the market. Understanding the market needs and what the PwDs can deliver. Most NGOs don’t understand the market and work instead in rehabilitating them.” She believes, the success behind CPDL, is their ‘Of the disabled, By the disabled’ module.“Initially these people didn’t have faith that they could get a job. But once they started getting picked up, the word spread. The important thing is to sensitise everyone involved, from the PwDs to the trainers and recruiters. Now we use technology, counselling and mixed media in interacting with them.”The top recruiters who come to CPDL are people from the gems and precious stones industry, BPOs, manufacturers, companies like TATA teleservices, Hinduja computers, Aegis Computers, McDonalds, In Orbit Mall, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Cafe Coffee Day. The average pay packet ranges anywhere between Rs 48,000 to Rs 1 lakh.When it comes to the recruiters, there are a few details that need to be taken care of. “Many companies do not have policies that cover or provide for the disabled. It’s happened that once a person passed all the required tests but didn’t get a job because he had only one hand and the company policy did not include that. We had to go talk to them and get them to change their policy,” shares Meera. However, given the relative success of the initiative, change is the operative word here; change in market opportunities, change in mindsets and change in employability.
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