News

Volume 4 Issue 12 - June 15, 2006

In a new initiative I.T.C.-Welcomgroup employs disabled people

D.N.I.S. News Network – In a welcome move, the I.T.C.-Welcomgroup has taken a new initiative of providing employment to people with disabilities. In the last ten months it has recruited 23 disabled people. Further, I.T.C. Windsor Manor Sheraton is in the process of engaging all its suppliers to employ disabled people in their organisations.

I.T.C.-Welcomgroup has thus taken the first tentative step in accepting its social responsibility as a corporate employer and in the process acknowledging that given the right opportunities and the right environment, disabled people can be equal contributors to the society and the economy of the nation.

The Group says that it first developed a matrix of disability types and departments to facilitate employment for the disabled and pair disability with the right kind of training and work. Moreover, family members are invited to the interview to dispel apprehensions about the job and work environment. In addition, daily monitoring is done by the Manager, Learning Services; and feedback taken from Supervisors and from the employees themselves to ensure that there are no problems.

In an attempt to create awareness, sensitivity and a sense of caring among the staff, special badges are given to visually impaired employees, whistles for hearing-impaired employees to use in emergencies, and sign language classes are conducted for the staff to communicate with them.

It is important for all corporates to emulate the example in creating opportunities for disabled people to enable them to become productive members of the society. It is high time the Centre announced an Incentive Plan to encourage more such initiatives, as in today’s India, the private sector is growing at a tremendous pace while opportunities are shrinking in the public sector, which again has not been able to properly implement the 3 per cent reservation in jobs for disabled people.