T H E S E V E N T H N C P E D P - S H E L L H E L E N K E L L E R A W A R D S

Tenth Year of the Disability Act

I N T R O D U C T I O N

It w a s on a e co ld D e c e m b e r day, s o m ten yea r s ago, w h e n o u r Pa r l i amenta r i ans passed ' T h e Disabi l i ty A c t 1995 ' . I w a s o n e o f the pr iv i leged f e w w h o w i t n e s s e d this h i s to r i ca l m o m e n t - d e w eye -d f r o m the V i s i to r ' s G a l l e r y o f Rajya Sabha.

T h e last t en yea r s have been like a Magnum O p u s , w i t h its due sha re of h e r o i s m , t ragedy, and even a f e w comica l m o m e n t s as w e l l . The Legis la t ion gave the Indian d isabled peop le the p o w e r t o 'Ac t ' . A n d ac t they d id . T h e y got un i ted , they ra i sed the i r v o i c e , they c a m e o u t in t he o p e n and d e m a n d e d the i r due sha re . T h e t w o l andmark v i c to r i e s w e r e to get e n u m e r a t e d in the Na t iona l C e n s u s and to be able t o cas t o u r v o t e in an access ib le w a y in t he G e n e r a l E l ec t ions . In o t h e r w o r d s - f i r s t , t he N a t i o n w a s f o r c e d to recogn i se that w e e x i s t e d and t h e n , it w a s made t o rea l i se that w e did n o t me re l y e x i s t but tha t w e w e r e c i t i zens t o o !

To have a law w i t h n o o n e t o i m p l e m e n t it has been the t ragedy of the Indian disabi l i ty sec to r . F i r s t , for as long as 3 yea r s , t he C h i e f C o m m i s s i o n e r f o r P e r s o n s w i t h Disabi l i t ies ( C C P D ) w a s n o t even appo in ted ! A n d t h e n , in r e c e n t y e a r s , w h i l e t h e off ice has a d e c o r a t i v e head , she/he is m o r e a puppet in the hands of the Min i s t r y o f Soc ia l Jus t i ce than the w a t c h d o g tha t she/he is supposed t o be .

If w e w a n t ' T h e Disabi l i ty A c t 1995' t o n o t m e r e l y e x i s t on paper but to get e n f o r c e d , w e w i l l have t o f r ee the off ice of t he C C P D f r o m the shack les of t he Min i s t r y of Soc ia l Jus t i ce .

Infact , we need a radica l parad igm shift .

If w e w a n t the en t i r e issue of disabi l i ty t o be n o t v i e w e d f r o m the 'We l f a re ' look ing glass, t hen w e def in i te ly need t o take away th is sub jec t m a t t e r t o a n o t h e r Min is t ry . T h e d r e a m s c e n a r i o w o u l d be to have a Min i s t r y of o u r - o w n the Min i s t r y of D isab i l i ty A f fa i r s ! B u t fo r s o m e r e a s o n , if t ha t is n o t poss ib le , t h e n fo r s u r e the sub jec t m a t t e r of disabi l i ty shou ld be sh i f ted f r o m the Min i s t r y o f Socia l Jus t i ce t o the Min i s t r y o f H u m a n R e s o u r c e D e v e l o p m e n t .

Javed Abidi Executive Director N C P E D P 2 n d D e c e m b e r , 2 0 0 5

Be not dumb,

obedient

slaves in an

army of destruction! Be heroes in an army of

construction! - Helen Keller

M E S S A G E

Abil ity is t he o u t c o m e of chal lenges s u r m o u n t e d . By th is s t anda rd , t he "d i f fe rent ly-ab led" have an edge in d e m o n s t r a t i n g a wi l l ingness t o face adve r s i t y and

s u c c e e d in spi te o f it. T h u s , abi l i ty t o p e r f o r m in t h e m o d e r n c o r p o r a t e w o r l d m u s t be v i e w e d f r o m an organ isat iona l m indse t o f fac i l i tat ion and a w i l l ingness t o a c c o m m o d a t e as we l l as leverage v a r i e d c o m p l e m e n t a r y ski l l se ts .

If w e a re increas ingly mov ing t o w a r d s a n o n - d i s c r i m i n a t o r y w o r l d , it is because o f t he unt i r ing c o n t r i b u t i o n s o f a f e w t o

w h o m w e o w e m u c h .

T h e N C P E D P - S h e l l H e l e n K e l l e r A w a r d s 2 0 0 5 are a smal l r ecogn i t ion o f t he outs tand ing con t r i bu t i ons t o w a r d s ensu r i ng that d ivers i ty in t he w o r k f o r c e is dec is ive ly w e l c o m e d as an asse t f o r o rgan i sa t ions .

In She l l , in t h o s e act iv i t ies w h e r e w e have success fu l ly e m p l o y e d "d i f fe rent ly-ab led" p e r s o n s s ide by s ide w i t h o t h e r s , it has on ly e n h a n c e d the w o r k e n v i r o n m e n t , ra i sed w o r k p l a c e s tandards and a ided o u r c o m m i t m e n t t o de l iver o u r bes t t o the c u s t o m e r .

T h i s year , t he H e l e n K e l l e r A w a r d s have a s impl i f ied list of ca tegor ies - namely , indiv iduals w i t h & w i t h o u t disabi l i t ies and o rgan i sa t ions . I unde r s t and that, as has been the case prev ious ly , t he c h o i c e of w i n n e r s is a diff icult task . T h e comb ina t i on of pe r sona l c o m m i t m e n t , e f fo r t & s u r m o u n t i n g chal lenges a long w i t h soc ia l a c h i e v e m e n t is no t an easy o n e t o a t ta in . F o r this r e a s o n , each o f t h e s e a w a r d e e s is a ro l e m o d e l f o r all o f us . A s fo r the organ isa t ions that have m a d e it t o the l ist of a w a r d e e s , the i r ro le is e x e m p l a r y and I c o m m e n d t h e m .

I t h e r e f o r e t ake g rea t p leasure in fe l ic i tat ing the w i n n e r s of t he N C P E D P -Shell H e l e n Ke l l e r A w a r d s 2 0 0 5 .

V i k r a m Singh Mehta C h a i r m a n Shel l G r o u p of C o m p a n i e s in India Shell

T H E 7TH NCPEDP-SHELL HELEN KELLER AWARDS

On the eve o f t he W o r l d Disabi l i ty D a y 2 0 0 5 , w e at N C P E D P and Shel l a re p r o u d t o p r e s e n t t he 7 th N C P E D P - S h e l l H e l e n K e l l e r A w a r d s .

O v e r the y e a r s , t he A w a r d s - ins t i tu ted in 1999 - have b e c o m e the definit ive b e n c h m a r k fo r h o n o u r i n g peop le - both disabled and non disabled - and organ i sa t ions w h o have been in s t rumenta l in p r o m o t i n g rehab i l i ta t ion , equal o p p o r t u n i t y and e m p l o y m e n t fo r d isabled p e r s o n s .

O n e change o v e r t he last yea r has been tha t t he n u m b e r o f A w a r d s has been r e d u c e d t o a to ta l o f 9 , w i t h t h r e e a w a r d s each being p r e s e n t e d in t h r e e ca tegor i e s . H o w e v e r , cons ide r ing the c o m m e n d a b l e w o r k being done by compan ies /o rgan i sa t ions / ins t i tu t ions , o n e m o r e a w a r d is be ing p r e s e n t e d in th is c a tego ry this year.

W h i l e h o n o u r i n g this year 's w i n n e r s and ce lebra t ing W o r l d Disabi l i ty D a y 2 0 0 5 he re in De lh i - and indeed all o v e r India and the

w o r l d - w e m u s t n o t fo rge t tha t m u c h m o r e needs t o be d o n e .As a su r vey c o n d u c t e d by N C P E D P s h o w e d , the pr i va te s e c t o r emp loys a d i smal 0 . 28% peop le w i t h disabi l i t ies , t he publ ic s e c t o r only 0 . 5 4 % and mul t inat iona l c o r p o r a t i o n s a m e r e 0 .05%! If th i s is the case in Bus iness India's S u p e r 100 C o m p a n i e s , One can jus t imagine the s i tuat ion in o t h e r s .

T h e encourag ing p a r t is that as long as ro l e mode l s such as th is year 's w i n n e r s c o n t i n u e t o have a d r e a m and w o r k sel f less ly t o w a r d s t h e i r v i s ion , w e shall con t inue to ce leb ra te the sp i r i t of e m p o w e r m e n t !

To all the w i n n e r s , congra tu la t ions and thank y o u !

From left to right: D. S. Chauhan, Dr. Shailaja D. Sharma, Subodh Bhargava, Asha Mehra and Sujit Gupta

T H E S E L E C T I O N C O M M I T T E E

S u b o d h B h a r g a v a The ex-Group Chairman and Chief

Execut ive of the Eicher G roup of Companies , and past President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CI I ) , Subodh Bhargava is also one of the Founder Trustees of NCPEDP . One of the most influential spokespersons for Indian industry, he substantially contributes towards and influences government policy in relation to industry. Subodh Bhargava is currently associated with several boards as an Independent Director. He is also the Chairman of VSNL and Warts i la India Ltd.

Sujit Gupta Sujit Gupta graduated with honours from the London School of Economics, prior to joining

TATA Steel as a management trainee in 1961. A career with the TATA Group culminated in his holding responsibility as the Resident D i rector in Delhi . Since his retirement, he continues to be on the Board of a number of TATA Companies and is also a Trustee of the W i ld life Trust of India. Whi le working with the TATA Group, Sujit Gupta worked closely with W H O as Chief Coordinator for Eradication of Small Pox. He is also the Chairman of the CII C o r e Committee on Disability. D.S.Chauhan

Hearing impaired since 1943, D. S. Chauhan has been working for the welfare of the hearing impaired since 1955. He has been associated with numerous organisations in this regard, and has been the Hony. Secretary of the Delhi Association of the Deaf since 1985. He has been a member of the Work ing Group on Vocational Rehabilitation Centres for Physically Disabled constituted by the Ministry of Labour, Government of India, and is currently a Committee Member of Standard Sign Language for Deaf Persons of the National Human Rights Commiss ion ( N H R C ) . Asha Mehra

Asha Mehra is the Secretary of Swavalamban - an organisation formed by parents of slow learners. W i t h her own daughter being a slow learner, she is deeply committed to, and involved with the issue of slow learning. Pr ior to this, as the wife of a senior officer in the Army, she served on the Army Wives ' Welfare Association ( A W W A ) Committee and was in charge of the scholarship disbursals to disabled children of Army personnel.

Shailaja D.Sharma Overseeing the corporate social responsibility blueprint of Shell India, Dr. Shailaja Sharma is

currently developing a portfolio of programmes and communications that further the social performance of Shell India. In addition to her previous assignments with the Wor ld Bank and NIIT, she has worked as a consultant to research projects on education, the unorganised sector and gender issues. She takes keen interest in development issues, is well known in the non-profit sector and often invited to participate in their deliberations.

CATEGORY A DISABLED PERSONS FROM

WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE

DISABILITY SECTOR WHO

HAVE BEEN ACTIVE AS

AMBASSADORS OF THE

CAUSE OF EMPLOYMENT

FOR DISABLED PEOPLE AND

AREA POSITIVE ROLE

MODEL FOR OTHERS

P R O G R A M M I N G S U C C E S S

Harish Kumar P. Kotian Manager (Department of Information Technology), Reserve Bank of India. B- 18, RBI Officers Quarters, Ameer Peet, Hyderabad - 500 016. Tel.:09440875914. E-mail: hpkotian@rbi.org.in

At a v e r y young age, wh i l e s tudy ing in C l a s s I X , H a r i s h had a f i r e c r a c k e r acc ident , w h i c h left h im w i t h 100% visual i m p a i r m e n t . H a r i s h and his family t hen spent

t w o yea r s in a t tempt ing t o r e s t o r e his sight th rough a se r i e s o f unsuccess fu l o p e r a t i o n s .

A f t e r a rehabi l i ta t ion p r o g r a m m e , H a r i s h r e s u m e d his s tud ies , wh i l e jo in ing R e s e r v e Bank of India ( R B I ) as a t e l e p h o n e o p e r a t o r . H i s tenac i t y paid off - he n o t only g radua ted in E c o n o m i c s and Pol it ical S c i ence , bu t a lso c o m p l e t e d his p o s t g radua t ion , a t tend ing evening c lasses at Mumbai Un ive r s i t y . S imul taneous ly , he a l so a t t ended a d ip loma p r o g r a m m e in bus iness management and s o f t w a r e d e v e l o p m e n t , b e c o m i n g the f i r s t v isual ly impa i red c o m p u t e r p r o g r a m m e r in India!

H a r i s h is act ive ly invo lved in the p r o m o t i o n of c o m p u t e r l i te racy t o visual ly impa i red p e r s o n s , and is a consu l t an t t o organ isa t ions such as V inayan P r o j e c t of t he Ta ta Inst i tute o f Fundamenta l R e s e a r c h , Indian G u i l d fo r t he B l ind and the C o m p u t e r Soc ie ty o f India . H e has a l so m a d e seve ra l p re sen ta t ions p r o m o t i n g I T educa t ion fo r the visual ly d isabled at t he In te rna t iona l C o u n c i l f o r t he V isua l ly Impa i red , and has been p a r t o f an in te rna t iona l init iat ive on d e v e l o p m e n t o f an o p e n s o u r c e D A I S Y f o r m a t e - t ex t player f o r peop le w i t h v isual i m p a i r m e n t s .

Har i sh ' s a ch i evement s don't s top a t helping o t h e r s - he pa r t i c ipa ted in t he f i r s t m o u n t a i n e e r i n g e xped i t i on fo r d isabled peop le , scal ing the 17 ,200 ft . K s h i t i d a r peak in Manali , and w a s a r u n n e r up in a navigat ional ca r ral ly o rgan i sed by the A l l India A u t o m o t i v e Rac ing C l u b !

H a r i s h has been a w a r d e d the 'S tar of t he Mi l l enn ium' by the G o v e r n o r o f K a r n a t a k a , the P i loo K a m b a t t a M e m o r i a l B e s t E m p l o y e e A w a r d in 2 0 0 0 , and the Bes t E m p l o y e e A w a r d in the visual ly impa i red ca tego ry by the Min i s t ry of Socia l Jus t i ce and E m p o w e r m e n t in 2 0 0 3 .

India’s first visually

impaired computer

programmer is a shining

example of overcoming all

odds

A 'CAN DO' S P I R I T

This spirited lady gave up a

secure career to devote her life to rehabilitate

others less privileged

Naseema Hurzuk Founder & President, Helpers of the Handicapped. 'Nasheman', 235/11, E,Tarabai Park, Kolhapur -416 003. Tel.: 91-231-2680026; E-mail: klp_crusade@sancharnet.in

At the t e n d e r age o f 16, N a s e e m a w a s aff l icted w i t h paraplegia , w a s bed r idden and con f ined t o h e r r o o m A t a t ime f i l led w i t h despair , h e r fa ther

c a m e t o h e r help, te l l ing h e r " K h u d i ko kar buland itna ke har taqdeer

se pehle, Khuda bande se khud pooche bataa teri raza kya hai" (Ra i se you r se l f t o such heights that G o d h imse l f asks y o u as t o w h a t y o u des i r e ) . Even though h e r f a the r passed away s h o r t l y after, she r e m e m b e r e d his w o r d s and w a s cha rged w i t h a n e w zea l to face h e r fu tu re w i t h cou rage and f o r t i t u d e .

A r m e d w i t h a pos i t i ve o u t l o o k , she g radua ted in E c o n o m i c s , got herse l f a j o b , and eventua l ly rose t o the p o s t o f D e p u t y O f f i c e S u p e r i n t e n d e n t of C u s t o m s & C e n t r a l E x c i s e .

Recognis ing that h e r success w a s part ly due t o the o p p o r t u n i t i e s avai lable t o her , she w a n t e d t o do someth ing f o r t he less pr iv i leged , a n d , in 1 9 8 3 , s t a r t e d ' H e l p e r s o f t he Hand i capped ' . A s the w o r k g r e w substant ia l ly o v e r t he y e a r s , she gave up h e r s e c u r e g o v e r n m e n t job in 1999 t o pu r sue rehabi l i ta t ion of physical ly d isabled peop le full t i m e .

' H e l p e r s of t he Hand i capped ' w a s s t a r t ed t o rehabi l i ta te the physical ly d isabled peop le f r o m ru ra l a reas all o v e r India. C u r r e n t l y , t he Hos te l - cum-Rehab i l i t a t i on C e n t r e at K o l h a p u r is a c c o m m o d a t i n g 135 physical ly d isabled s tuden t s , voca t iona l t r a i nees , and staff m e m b e r s . In add i t ion , a Vocat iona l T ra in ing C e n t r e p r o d u c e s w h e e l c h a i r s , t r i c y c l e s , c r u t c h e s and o t h e r a ids . M o r e o v e r , as p a r t of b e c o m i n g tota l ly se l f-re l iant , t he o rgan i sa t ion a lso f a r m s large t r a c t s o f land at S indhudurg D i s t r i c t o f M a h a r a s h t r a , r uns a C o o p e r a t i v e C r e d i t Soc ie ty and o p e r a t e s a G a s Agency .

A t t r i b u t i n g h e r success t o the fact that m o s t ' H e l p e r s ' a r e t h e m s e l v e s physical ly d isab led , N a s e e m a has d i rec t l y been respons ib le fo r helping o v e r 1 2 , 0 0 0 d isabled p e r s o n s , involv ing o v e r R s . 3 3 . 4 mi l l ion in educat iona l /medica l /vocat iona l a ids!

N a s e e m a ' s ded ica t ion and d e t e r m i n a t i o n have w o n h e r laurels inc luding those f r o m the G o v e r n m e n t o f India , G o v e r n o r of D e l h i , C h i e f M in i s te r of M a h a r a s h t r a , G o v e r n o r of M a h a r a s h t r a , U n i o n H o m e Min i s te r , as w e l l as t he O u t l o o k Speak O u t A w a r d s 2 0 0 5 .

A D I F F E R E N T P A T H

A qualified Chartered

Accountant who chose to

empower disabled

children instead

S. Sankara Raman Hony. Secretary, Amar Seva Sangam, Sulochana Gardens, Post Box No.001,Tensaki Road. Ayikudy - 627 852. Tel.: 91-4633-267710,267317. E-mail: amarseva@sancharnet.in Website: www.amarseva.org

It w a s s h e e r d e t e r m i n a t i o n that got S. Sanka ra R a m a n , a w h e e l c h a i r u s e r aff l icted w i t h m u s c u l a r dys t rophy s ince c h i l d h o o d , th rough s c h o o l and co l lege . M o r e o v e r , his

physical cond i t ion didn't d e t e r h im f r o m passing his C h a r t e r e d A c c o u n t a n c y , and tha t t o o w i t h a gold m e d a l !

In 1 9 9 2 , at the age o f 30 , he c a m e a c r o s s S. R a m a k r i s h n a n and all t he w o r k tha t w a s being done by A m a r Seva Sangam fo r rehabi l i tat ing physical ly d isabled ch i ld ren . W i t h o u t hes i t a t ion , he gave up his lucrat ive p r a c t i c e , and plunged w h o l e - h e a r t e d l y in to his life's d r e a m : that of e m p o w e r i n g disabled c i t i zens by establ ish ing a 'Valley of the D i sab l ed ' as a Rehabi l i ta t ion and D e v e l o p m e n t C e n t r e .

Today, A m a r Seva Sangam has a fu l l - t ime h o m e for 60 disabled ch i ld ren w i t h in tegra ted educa t ion , mob i l i t y aids and medica l s u p p o r t . a day-care c e n t r e fo r 4 0 menta l l y impa i red ch i ld ren as we l l as a hos te l for 105 physica l ly d isabled y o u t h , w h o a re taught vocat iona l ski l ls . It has a lso se t up a c o m p u t e r t ra in ing c e n t r e fo r peop le w i t h disabi l i t ies and has ass i s ted in designing disabled-fr iendly E M U c o a c h e s fo r M u m b a i .

V i l lage-based rehabi l i ta t ion init iat ives inc lude spreading a w a r e n e s s a b o u t disabi l i ty i ssues a m o n g 6 0 lakh ru ra l p o o r , sp read o v e r 4 b locks of 330 vi l lages in Tami l N a d u and the f o r m a t i o n of 75 Se l f -He lp G r o u p s cons i s t ing o f 8 0 0 m e m b e r s .

F o r his self less s e r v i c e o v e r t he y e a r s , S. Sanka ra R a m a n has been h o n o u r e d repeated ly by the G o v e r n m e n t of India , G o v e r n m e n t of Tami l N a d u , and n u m e r o u s o t h e r organ isa t ions and bod ies .

CATEGORY B NON DISABLED PERSONS

FROM WITHIN AND

OUTSIDE THE DISABILITY

SECTOR WHO

CONTRIBUTED

SUBSTANTIALLY TO THE

CAUSE OF PROMOTING

EMPLOYMENT

OPPORTUNITIES FOR

DISABLED PEOPLE OVER AN

EXTENDED PERIOD OF TIME

E N A B L I N G O T H E R S

She uses her experience to train disabled persons and create job

opportunities

Shanti Raghavan Managing Trustee, EnAble India. 694, 6A Cross, Koramangala, 3rd Block, Bangalore - 560 034. Tel.: 09845313919. E-mail: shanti@enable-india.org

Shanti 's f i r s t e n c o u n t e r w i t h disabi l i ty w a s w h e n h e r b r o t h e r w a s d iagnosed w i t h Ret in i t i s P igmentosa , a degenera t i ve eye d isease that causes t h e pat ient t o

b e c o m e progress ive ly v isual ly impa i red . She and h e r husband D i p e s h w e r e i n s t rumenta l in rehabi l i tat ing h e r b ro the r , no t only th rough o r i en t ing h im t o speech-enab led c o m p u t e r s and too l s and techn iques fo r his s tud ies , but a lso o u t d o o r act iv i t ies such as cyc l ing, raft ing and snorke l l ing !

A f t e r r e tu rn ing f r o m the U S w i t h a M.S. degree in C o m p u t e r S c i e n c e , Shanti dec ided t o use h e r e x p e r i e n c e t o e m p o w e r o t h e r s w i t h disabil ity, sacr i f i c ing a high prof i le c a r e e r w i t h G E A i r c r a f t Engines .

E n A b l e India w a s se t up in 1999 , and , s ince t h e n , has been act ive ly involved in educa t ion , e m p l o y m e n t and rehabi l i ta t ion o f peop le w i t h disabi l i t ies . It c u r r e n t l y has o v e r 5 0 0 d isabled p e r s o n s r eg i s te red . A popu la r facet o f E n A b l e India is its C o m p u t e r C e n t r e w h i c h ca te r s to disabled s tudents of d i f ferent age groups and educa t ion levels , and prov ides t ra in ing in using speech-enab led c o m p u t e r s .

Shant i a lso uses h e r 12 yea r s of e x p e r i e n c e in the s o f t w a r e i ndus t r y t o t ra in disabled cand idates in soft sk i l ls , pe r sona l i t y d e v e l o p m e n t , c o m p u t e r s and o t h e r e m p l o y m e n t re la ted t ra in ing . E n A b l e India's E m p l o y e r O u t r e a c h p r o g r a m m e has he lped forge long-t e r m pa r tne r sh ips w i t h p r e m i e r c o m p a n i e s and has re su l ted in c r e a t i o n o f job oppor tun i t i e s a c r o s s all disabi l i t ies .

F o r h e r self less s e r v i c e t o the cause o f p r o m o t i o n of e m p l o y m e n t fo r d isabled peop le o v e r t he yea r s , Shant i has been e l ec ted an A s h o k a F e l l o w in 2 0 0 5 . She has a l so r ece i ved an A w a r d f r o m R o t a r y C l u b of C u b b o n Pa r k in 2 0 0 4 and the R o t a r y Inner W h e e l T e a c h e r s ' A w a r d in 2 0 0 5 .

M A K I N G A D I F F E R E N C E

He developed a software that

opened up the doors of

opportunity in a sunrise industry

Shyam Kedare Director, Softnet Interactive Pvt. Ltd. R-709, Purva Park, Jeevanahalli Main Road, Cox Town, Bangalore - 560 005. Tel.: 09243461688. E-mail: shyam@move2voice.com

Af te r obta in ing a degree in E lec t r i ca l Eng ineer ing f r o m the U n i v e r s i t y of M u m b a i , Shyam w e n t o n t o w o r k With o rgan i sa t ions s u c h as B h a r a t B i j lee , T C S ,

H e w l e t t Packa rd and B N R ( R e s e a r c h ) , in India and o v e r s e a s .

O n r e tu rn ing t o India in 1998 , he se t up So f tne t I n te rac t i ve , concen t r a t i ng mainly o n vo i ce techno log ies . In the p e r i o d 1 9 9 8 - 2 0 0 0 , w h i l e in te rac t ing w i t h visual ly impa i red peop le in severa l US-based c o m p a n i e s , he rea l i sed tha t vo i ce appl icat ions fo r v isual ly impa i red peop le had m u c h m o r e potent ia l . H e a lso dwe l l ed o n the fact tha t even though Banga lore w a s an in te rna t iona l I T hub - e x p o r t i n g s o f t w a r e to make w o r k i n g s imp le r fo r mi l l ions a c r o s s t he w o r l d - n o t enough w a s being done fo r t he v isual ly impa i red in t he s ame c i ty !

T h e n e x t logical s tep w a s t o v is i t T h e Na t iona l A s s o c i a t i o n fo r t he B l ind ( N A B ) , w h i c h at tha t t i m e , w a s ope ra t ing a t e l e -marke t ing unit fo r Ta ta I nd i com . Shyam's c o m p a n y d e v e l o p e d a s o f t w a r e named N E I L (Nav iga t ion and E x p e r t I n te rac t ion Log ic ) , w h i c h a l l o w e d visual ly impa i red u se r s t o navigate vo i ce appl icat ions - hos ted on a r e m o t e s e r v e r and access ib le f r o m a n y w h e r e in India - using on ly 12 keys of a t o u c h t o n e t e l e p h o n e i n s t r u m e n t !

A f t e r t ra in ing o n N E I L , c u r r e n t l y 5 v isual ly impa i red p e r s o n s a re emp loyed w i t h a ma jo r t e l e c o m s e r v i c e prov ider . F o u r m o r e a re undergo ing t ra in ing , and the n e x t phase of t he p ro j ec t w i l l see t h e m t r a i n e d t o take i ncoming cal ls , open ing up n e w avenues of e m p l o y m e n t in t he B P O indust ry .

Shyam's e x p e r t i s e , far-s ightedness and p e r s e v e r a n c e re f l ec t his r a r e a ch i evement : that of deve lop ing a l o w c o s t , innovat ive so lu t ion t o m a k e a d i f fe rence to the l ives of many.

A T R U E C R U S A D E R

Reverend Vaz has selflessly spearheaded initiatives on

different disability-

related issues

Rev.Vale rianoVaz Director, Caritas Goa. Paco Patriarcal,Altinho, Panjim, Goa - 403 001 Tel.: 91 -832-2226509. E-mail:caritas@caritasgoa.com

Rev. Va le r i ano Vaz s t a r t e d his c a r e e r as a t e a c h e r in a S e m i n a r y in G o a . It w a s a t tha t t i m e t h a t he s t a r t ed gett ing involved in soc ia l issues affect ing the peop le o f

G o a . A f t e r address ing d i ve r se sub jects , he b e c a m e in te res ted in t he cause o f disabi l i ty and w a s appo in ted D i r e c t o r o f C a r i t a s G o a , w h i c h w o r k s in t h e a rea of rehabi l i ta t ion o f d isabled p e r s o n s .

T h e Voca t iona l T ra in ing C e n t r e - o n e o f t h e i r f i r s t init iat ives and the f i r s t in G o a -prov ides t ra in ing in s c r e e n pr int ing , c a r p e n t r y , w o o d ca rv ing , we ld ing , m e c h a n i c s , bak ing, e t c . N o t only has th is c e n t r e t r a i n e d t h o u s a n d s o f d isabled p e r s o n s , bu t it has a l so he lped t h e m t o gain suitable se l f - emp loyment o r p l acement s in t he pr i va te sec tor , notably the ho te l industry .

Rea l i s ing that t he key to helping disabled p e r s o n s gain e m p l o y m e n t w a s fo rma l e d u c a t i o n , a s choo l fo r p e r s o n s w i t h disabi l i ty w a s s t a r t e d . T h e c o n c e p t of ' R e v e r s e Inc lus ion ' , w h i c h is being used at St . X a v i e r ' s A c a d e m y (specia l s choo l ) - w h e r e b y non disabled s tudent s jo in the d isabled s tudent s and benef i t f r o m the specia l s c h o o l - has been v e r y success fu l , pa r t i cu la r l y fo r ch i ld ren w i t h c e r t a i n k inds of disabil ity, w h o f ind it e x t r e m e l y diff icult t o cope in regular s choo l s . T h i s m o d e l is n o w a lso being p r o m o t e d in a n o t h e r specia l s c h o o l in G o a .

Rev . Vaz has s p e a r h e a d e d seve ra l init iat ives t o p r o m o t e disabi l i ty r ights in G o a . H e led a campaign t o make publ ic bui ldings ba r r i e r - f ree , has s t rongly a d v o c a t e d for imp lement ing 3% r e s e r v a t i o n in the pub l i c /gove rnment sec to r . and is c reat ing a n e t w o r k of N G O s in the disabi l i ty s e c t o r in G o a t o w o r k t o w a r d s a c o m m o n v i s ion .

Rev. Vaz 's s tanding in the soc ie ty , impeccab le r epu ta t i on , v i s ion and leadersh ip have he lped in br inging d isabi l i ty- re lated i ssues in to s h a r p focus in G o a . H e has played a key ro le in inf luencing the g o v e r n m e n t , N G O s and the soc ie ty at large t o see disabi l i ty in t he r ight pe r spec t i ve .

A C O M M I T T E D A P P R O A C H

A multinational that believes In creating value for society and

the communities in

which it operates

A B B Limited 2nd Floor, East Wing, Khanija Bhawan, 49 Race Course Road, Bangalore - 560 001. Tel.: 91-80-22949101. Website:www.abb.co.in

ABB is a global leader in P o w e r and A u t o m a t i o n techno log ies that enable ut i l i ty and i ndus t r y

c u s t o m e r s t o i m p r o v e t h e i r p e r f o r m a n c e w h i l e l o w e r i n g e n v i r o n m e n t a l impact . T h e A B B G r o u p o p e r a t e s in a b o u t 100 c o u n t r i e s and emp loys o v e r 1 0 0 , 0 0 0 peop le ac ross the w o r l d . A B B has a long-standing p r e s e n c e in India spanning severa l decades , and emp loys a r o u n d 4 , 0 0 0 peop le . A B B ' s v i s ion is t o c r ea te va lue fo r soc ie ty and the

c o m m u n i t i e s in w h i c h it o p e r a t e s , by ' l iving' its c o m m i t m e n t t o susta inabi l i ty in keeping w i t h A B B ' s t r ip le b o t t o m l ine approach o f balancing the e c o n o m i c , env i ronmen ta l and soc ia l impac t of bus iness .

T h e company ' s soc ia l respons ib i l i ty is a lso re f l ec ted in the exp l i c i t non-d i sc r im ina t ion c lause in its Soc ia l Policy. A B B does n o t d i s c r im ina te o n the basis of disabi l i ty and h a s a l s o i d e n t i f i e d e m p l o y m e n t o p p o r t u n i t i e s fo r d isabled p e r s o n s in add i t ion to suppor t ing e x t e r n a l init iat ives in th is a rea .

In N a s i k , t he c o m p a n y p a r t n e r s w i t h P r abodh in i , a she l t e red w o r k s h o p f o r m e n t a l l y d i s a b l e d i n d i v i d u a l s . T h e p a r t n e r s h i p c o m m e n c e d in 1993 modes t l y w i t h the purchase o f 1 ,000 greet ing ca rds . A f t e r eva lua t ion , ident i f icat ion of suitable w o r k / p r o d u c t s and e x t e n s i v e t ra in ing in i t iat ives , t he p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h P rabodh in i g r e w su re l y and steadily. Today, P rabodh in i m e e t s A B B ' s r e q u i r e m e n t s f o r Pack ing S t i c ke r s , C a u t i o n C a r d s , B o x F i les , F lat F i les and E a r t h C o n t a c t A s s e m b l i e s . T h i s year , 7 n e w

a s s e m b l i e s a r e b e i n g d e v e l o p e d in p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h P rabodh in i t o i nc rease the q u a n t u m of w o r k o u t s o u r c e d t o t h e m . T h i s p r o c e s s , l ike ear l ier , w i l l involve intens ive consu l t a t ion b e t w e e n A B B ' s eng ineers and Prabodhin i ' s t e a c h e r s , modi f i ca t ion of A B B ' s c o m p o n e n t s to su i t P rabodhin i ' s needs , and subsequent ly , t r ia l p r o d u c t i o n . A po in t o f d e p a r t u r e f r o m the past is that P rabodh in i w i l l supply assembl ies a long w i t h mate r i a l . A B B r ightly c o n t e n d s tha t th i s w i l l help

P rabodh in i s tudent s lea rn management and purchas ing ski l ls , get fami l ia r w i t h mate r i a l s management , and overa l l , ra ise the i r se l f -conf idence and ski l l levels .

A B B is n o w in the p roces s of rep l icat ing th i s nove l and p ionee r ing init iat ive a c r o s s all its manu fac tu r ing locat ions in India . It r ecen t l y ident i f ied c o m p o n e n t assembl ies that c o u l d potent ia l ly be o u t s o u r c e d f r o m its f a c t o r y in Peenya , Banga lo re , and has in i t iated a p a r t n e r s h i p w i t h P r e r a n a , an N G O w o r k i n g w i t h v i s u a l l y a n d o r thopaed i ca l l y d isabled gir ls .

A s p a r t o f its T s u n a m i Rehab i l i t a t ion P r o g r a m m e . A B B has p a r t n e r e d w i t h A c t i o n A i d and the D i s t r i c t D isab i l i ty N e t w o r k , Nagapa t t i nam , t o rehabi l i tate pe r sons w i t h disabi l i ty af fected by the disaster . W h i l e m o s t compan ie s focus sed the i r e f fo r t s on bui lding h o u s e s , donat ing boats and nets and o t h e r in f ras t ruc tu ra l inputs , A B B did a need-gap analys is a f te r e x t e n s i v e s t a k e h o l d e r dia logue. T h i s resu l ted in A B B consc ious l y dec id ing t o rebu i ld the l ive l ihoods o f p e r s o n s w i t h disabi l i ty t h r o u g h locally re levant e m p l o y m e n t o p t i o n s .

A rec ip ient o f many a w a r d s fo r its e c o n o m i c p e r f o r m a n c e , A B B w a s a lso v o t e d a m o n g the T o p Ten G r e e n e s t C o m p a n i e s by Tata Ene rgy R e s e a r c h Inst i tute ( T E R I ) in 2001.

K E E P I N G U P T H E G O O D W O R K

One of India's largest

petroleum companies

continues to fulfill its

Corporate Responsibility by proactively

creating employment

opportunities

Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited Bharat Bhawan.4 & 6,Currimbhoy Road, Ballard Estate, P.B.No 688, Mumbai - 400 001. Tel.:91-22-22713000,22714000. E-mail: info@bharatpetroleum.com Website: www.bharatpetroleum.com

Prov id ing equal o p p o r t u n i t y t o

peop le w i t h disabi l i t ies has a lways

been a p a r t of the c o r p o r a t e

p h i l o s o p h y o f B h a r a t P e t r o l e u m

C o r p o r a t i o n L i m i t e d ( B P C L ) . B P C L ' s

p rac t i ce o f th is ph i losophy is w h a t made it a

w i n n e r o f t he 1st N C P E D P - S h e l l H e l e n

K e l l e r A w a r d s , w a y back in 1 9 9 9 .

W h a t r ema ins unchanged s ince then is

that B P C L c o n t i n u e s t o fulfill its c o r p o r a t e respons ib i l i t i es . W h a t has changed , howeve r , is

the fact that the pe rcentage of d isabled p e r s o n s e m p l o y e d by B P C L has r i sen f r o m 1.11%

t o 1.37%, desp i te the tota l emp loyee

s t rength reduc ing f r o m 12,411 to 12 ,082 !

" W e shal l con t inue to r e c r u i t d isabled

peop le in the organ isa t ion as pe r t he laid

d o w n gu ide l ines" , says S. M o h a n , E x e c u t i v e

D i r e c t o r , H R D . A n d that is exac t l y w h a t

they have been do ing . C u r r e n t l y , 166

d isabled p e r s o n s a re emp loyed w i t h B P C L .

T h e r e c r u i t m e n t p roces s is duly m o n i t o r e d

t o e n s u r e tha t vacanc ies f o r physical ly

impa i red p e r s o n s do not rema in vacant . Specia l r e l a xa t ion is given fo r up to 10 yea r s o f

t he r equ i r ed age prof i le fo r the post . A n d w h e n e v e r r e q u i r e d , specia l r e c r u i t m e n t dr i ves

a re u n d e r t a k e n .

It's n o t jus t r ec ru i t i ng cand idates w i t h

disabi l i ty - B P C L ensu res tha t they a r e

ass igned suitable w o r k and a g o o d w o r k i n g

e n v i r o n m e n t in t he o rgan i sa t i on . F o r

e x a m p l e , v isual ly impa i red e m p l o y e e s a re

p r o v i d e d w i t h c u s t o m i s e d c o m p u t e r s

e q u i p p e d w i t h o p t i c a l c h a r a c t e r

r e c o g n i s e r s , e n a b l i n g t h e m t o w o r k

independent ly .

D i sab led e m p l o y e e s a re a lso e n c o u r a g e d in act iv i t ies o u t s i d e the organ isa t ion - a

v isual ly impa i red e m p l o y e e w a s sen t on R o c k C l i m b i n g Mounta inee r i ng C o u r s e , and

success fu l ly sca led a peak o f ove r 1 3 , 0 0 0 feet in W e s t S i k k i m !

B P C L a l so fo l l ows carefu l ly laid d o w n

r e s e r v a t i o n po l i c ies f o r a l l o t m e n t o f

d e a l e r s h i p s a n d d i s t r i b u t o r s h i p s t o

physical ly d isabled cand idates . W h a t ' s m o r e ,

specia l conces s ions and f inancial ass i s tance

is given to dese rv ing cand idates init iat ing

the bus iness .

O t h e r a r e a s o f C o r p o r a t e Soc i a l

Respons ib i l i t y that B P C L is ac t i ve in : it has

a d o p t e d 37 vi l lages in 13 s ta tes , d i rect ly impact ing 1 2 0 , 0 0 0 peop le ; it has in it iated the

' Bha ra t P e t r o l e u m Scho la r sh ip ' t o p r o m o t e e x c e l l e n c e in h igher e d u c a t i o n ; it has

c o n t r i b u t e d t o w a r d s c o m m u n i t y faci l i t ies and i n f r a s t ruc tu re ; and it has dona ted

gene rous l y in t imes of ca lami ty and disaster .

T ru l y , a c o m p a n y that d e s e r v e s t o be ca l led a 'Nav Ratna ' !

T H E R O A D L E S S T R A V E L L E D

A frontline software

company in Chennai that

actually prefers employing physically

disabled or socially

impacted persons

Laser Soft Infosystems Limited 100-A, Radha Avenue, Srilakshmi Nagar.Valasaravakkam, Chennai - 600 087.

Tel.: 91-44-248692131417. E-mail: kamath@lasersoft.co.in Website: www.lasersoft.co.in

What is bad f o r o n e c o u n t r y

cou ld p rove t o be good fo r

anothe r . In th is pa r t i cu l a r

ca se , U S A ' s loss w a s India's gain w h e n

Su re sh K a m a t h , a g raduate o f IIT C h e n n a i ,

o p t e d t o stay back in India ins tead o f

look ing f o r 'g reener ' pas tu res a b r o a d .

W h a t held h im back w a s his d r e a m o f

bui lding a w o r l d c lass s o f t w a r e c o m p a n y

and a lso of c reat ing job o p p o r t u n i t i e s for t he less pr iv i leged you th o f India .

Su re sh set up L a s e r Sof t In fosys tems in 1 9 8 6 , a l o n g w i t h a smal l g roup o f p ro fess iona l s .

Today, it en joys an env iable r epu ta t ion in t he m a r k e t , w i t h a focus o n p r o d u c t s fo r the

Bank ing and F inancia l S e r v i c e s e c t o r s .

A b o u t 25 spec ia l i sed p roduc t of fer ings

c o v e r t h e e n t i r e r a n g e o f b a n k i n g

o p e r a t i o n s and act iv i t ies .

R ight f r o m its s t a r t in 1986 , L a s e r Sof t

has r igorous ly i m p l e m e n t e d its po l icy o f

emp loy ing d isabled p e r s o n s . In fact , they

p re fe r t o emp loy a physical ly d isabled o r

socia l ly impac ted p e r s o n , p rov ided s/he

posses ses the n e c e s s a r y ski l ls and qual i f icat ions . T h e c o m p a n y of fers fac i l i tat ion by way of

a ba r r i e r - f ree w o r k p l a c e and t r a n s p o r t . F r e e a c c o m m o d a t i o n and mea l s on duty a re a lso

made avai lable t o such emp loyees .

L a s e r So f t has a lso s t a r t ed the Life Inst i tute

fo r Techn ica l Educa t ion ( L I T E ) , an advanced

techn i ca l ins t i tute f o r physical ly d isabled

and economica l l y b a c k w a r d p e r s o n s . L I T E

p rov ides s tudent s w i t h qual i ty techn i ca l

educa t ion - w h i l e paying t h e m a s t ipend -

and t r a n s f o r m s t h e m into I T profess iona l s

w i t h enough ski l ls t o gain e m p l o y m e n t in

f ront l ine I T c o m p a n i e s . T w o ba tches of such

s tudents have a l ready been t r a ined and p laced , and the th i rd batch is cu r ren t l y u n d e r way .

L a s e r Sof t is a l so assoc ia ted w i t h V A S A N T H A M , a s choo l f o r menta l ly d isabled

ch i ld ren . Es tab l i shed w i t h 6 ch i ld ren at Mogappa i r on the o u t s k i r t s o f C h e n n a i in 1 9 8 9 ,

V A S A N T H A M has qual i f ied staff t o c o u n s e l ,

t r a i n a n d l o o k a f t e r t h e s p e c i a l

deve lopmenta l needs o f such ch i ld ren .

L a s e r Sof t has been a w a r d e d the

" M o t i v a t i o n A w a r d 2001" by Fede ra t i on o f

T a m i l N a d u P h y s i c a l l y H a n d i c a p p e d

A s s o c i a t i o n fo r be ing the best disabi l i ty

f r iendly s o f t w a r e c o m p a n y in employ ing

p e r s o n s w i t h disabil ity, and in 2 0 0 5 has been

h o n o u r e d w i t h the Bes t P r i va te E m p l o y e r A w a r d by the G o v e r n m e n t o f Tami l N a d u .

Su resh K a m a t h is a l so the p r o u d rec ip ien t of t he D i s t ingu i shed A l u m n u s A w a r d f r o m his

A l m a Mater . IIT C h e n n a i , in 2 0 0 1 .

3 5 Y E A R S O F S E R V I C E

An organisation that has helped

thousands through

Community Based

Rehabilitation programmes in

rural Karnataka

Shree Ramana Maharishi Academy for the Blind CA IB, III Cross, III Phase, JP Nagar, Bangalore-560 078. Te l . :91-80-26581076,51209491.

E-mail: mail@srmab.org Website:www.welcome.to/srmab

The j o u r n e y o f S h r e e R a m a n a

.Mahar i sh i A c a d e m y fo r t he B l ind

( S R M A B ) o v e r t he last t h r e e and a

half decades has been noth ing s h o r t o f

p h e n o m e n a l . It has g r o w n f r o m an A c a d e m y

w i t h just o n e visual ly impa i red s tuden t t o

o n e that c o v e r s o v e r 16 ,000 today ; f r o m a

s e r v i c e de l i ve ry agency t o a r e s o u r c e

organ i sa t ion ; f r o m address ing only v isual

i m p a i r m e n t t o cove r ing all disabi l i t ies ; and f r o m just l ook ing at the s y m p t o m s of disabi l i ty

t o de lv ing deep in to its r o o t causes th rough educa t ion and p o v e r t y a l lev iat ion .

T h e j o u r n e y s t a r t ed w i t h the set t ing up o f a s c h o o l in 1969. Today, t he academy has

m o r e than 9 p ro j e c t s , p rov id ing s e r v i c e s in

t he f ield of hea l th , educa t ion and s o c i o ­

e c o n o m i c rehabi l i ta t ion t o d isabled peop le

in subu rban and ru r a l a reas of K a r n a t a k a .

C o m m u n i t y Based Rehab i l i ta t ion ( C B R )

P r o g r a m m e s inc lude Sou labya , w h i c h a ims

at r ehab i l i t a t i on o f v i sua l l y i m p a i r e d

ch i ld ren f r o m ru ra l a reas . A res ident ia l se t­

up , Sou labya p rov ides f r ee educa t iona l and

voca t iona l t ra in ing f r o m n u r s e r y t o c lass 10. Vocat iona l p r o g r a m m e s inc lude indust r ia l

t ra in ing , packaging, c o m p u t e r t ra in ing , Bra i l le t r a n s c r i p t i o n , h o r t i c u l t u r e and t h e

p r o d u c t i o n of ta lk ing b o o k s f o r t he use o f t he visual ly impa i red .

T h e T h i r u m u r t h y R u r a l D e v e l o p m e n t

C e n t r e is an agro-based t ra in ing and

r e s o u r c e c e n t r e f o r the ru ra l d isabled in

K a n a k a p u r a Ta luk , Banga lo re R u r a l D i s t r i c t .

W i t h f r ee res ident ia l faci l i t ies dur ing the 3-

y e a r c o u r s e , t he c e n t r e p rov ides t ra in ing

and non- fo rma l educa t ion in agr i cu l tu re ,

h o r t i c u l t u r e , s e r i c u l t u r e , pou l t ry , f i sher ies

and w e a v i n g . C B R p r o g r a m m e s l ike

T h a r a b e t h i , Sangama, Samyuk ta , Samudaya and S a m p o o r n a c o v e r h u n d r e d s of vi l lages in

rura l a reas , benef i t ing thousands th rough rehabi l i ta t ion and deve lopmenta l p r o g r a m m e s .

It's n o t jus t w o r k and n o play at S R M A B .

E x t r a c u r r i c u l a r ac t iv i t ies l ike c lass ical a n d

folk dance , C a r n a t i c m u s i c , d r a m a t i c s , and

games and s p o r t s a re act ive ly p u r s u e d . In

fact , t he A c a d e m y ' s dance t r o u p e has

p e r f o r m e d in ma jo r t o w n s in India , and

c o u n t r i e s l ike U .S .A . , Italy and U . K . , and has

w o n laurels at v a r i o u s nat ional m e e t s .

S R M A B has been h o n o u r e d w i t h many

awards o v e r the yea r s , inc luding the

Na t iona l A w a r d fo r the W e l f a r e o f D i sab led People by the Min i s t r y o f W e l f a r e in 1989 and

the T h o m a s M e m o r i a l N a t i o n a l A w a r d fo r E x e m p l a r y S e r v i c e by the A l l India B l ind

W e l f a r e T r u s t in 2 0 0 2 .

THE DISABILITY FRIENDLY CORPORATE LOGO

The handshake - a gesture of equality, of affirmation. The backdrop - the yin and yang

symbolising the opposing forces of life. The colours - internationally used yellow and blue.

The Disability Friendly Corporate Logo, conceived in 1999 , stands for hiring policies that are non-discriminatory; asks for dignity at the workplace; and demands a work environment that is accessible. In return, it promises productivity, loyalty and a high standard of work ethics.

If we work together, this can be done. Let's all reach out and ensure that people with disabilities get more opportunities at the workplace, and get the chance to lead a life of productivity and fulfillment.

It is a

terrible

thing to

see and have no

vision. - Helen Keller

National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People A - 7 7 , Sou th E x t e n s i o n P a r t I I , N e w De lh i 1 1 0 0 4 9 Te l . : ( 0 1 1 ) 2 6 2 6 5 6 4 7 , 2 6 2 6 5 6 4 8 . Fax : ( 0 1 1 ) 2 6 2 6 5 6 4 9 E-mails : s e c r e t a r i a t @ n c p e d p . o r g and e m p l o y m e n t @ n c p e d p . o r g W e b s i t e s : w w w . n c p e d p . o r g and w w w . d n i s . o r g

Shell