As part of their special responsibilities, information technology industry in India is slowly opening its eyes towards the visually challenged by offering them jobs, training and even taking up infrastructural modifications to accommodate them.
IBM, Mphasis, Infosys-BPO, SAP India and Adithi Technologies are some of the companies which have started inducting the visually-impaired.
According to Shanthi Raghavan, founder of Bangalore-based EnAble India, an organisation working for the differently-abled, "the industry is opening up for the visually-impaired, though the pace is slow".
IBM, in association with EnAble India, had recently conducted a three-week training programme in Bangalore for teachers of the visually impaired on the right computer teaching techniques to address the IT skills of their students.
"It was for the first time that an IT company in India has come up with such an initiative for the visually impaired," said Raghavan.
As many as 15 teachers from different institutions across the country underwent the training and this in turn is expected to help some 500-1000 students, said Raghavan. Further, it should enhance the employability of at least 450 people this year.
According to Anitha Guha, India Diversity Leader, IBM, the organisation had been undertaking several initiatives to increase visibility and access of the differently-abled at workplace. But a serious bottleneck in this pursuit was finding qualified hands.
"The training programme is expected to bridge the gap between the companies and these talents with the help of the teachers who could groom them as per the requirements of the industry," said Guha.
The course provided training on JAWS (PC with screen reader), general teaching techniques and specific teaching techniques for the blind, industry orientation and usage of right resource aids. The trainers were equipped with a curriculum that they can follow at their respective institutions, said Raghavan
Teachers were also given resource aids and material, including essential tactile diagrams, audio compact discs with training instructions, practical exercises, voice-enabled software.
As part of the programme, the teachers visited the IBM office in Bangalore and interacted with the differently-abled
employees as well as the recruiting officials to have a first hand knowledge about the needs of the industry.
The companies, under their social-inclusiveness initiatives, also have brought about physical modifications at the workplace such as ramps, braille signs in elevators and doors, besides technology tools like voice recognition software and HomePage reader to enable the visually impaired perform all their works easily.
"In India, all our new locations are equipped with the standard requirements for people with disabilities and we are upgrading our older facilities to conform to the same tandards", said Guha.
Infosys-BPO, which has over hundred disabed persons, including visually impaired, in its pay roll, also has changed their lay-out into a disabled-friendly one.
According to sources in the company, the disabled are provided transportation facilities and special training in computer applications.
According to Guha, each visually impaired person is entrusted with a colleague who will help him out in an emergency situation like a fire alarm.
The company also holds round-table conferences to "understand and address their unique concerns".
"People with disabilities are employed in a variety of roles in our organisation, including Project Management, Programming, Consulting, Operations Quality Assurance and Human Resources. There is a conscious attempt not to classify certain jobs as fit for people with disabilities", Guha said.
"Our differently-abled employees have proved that they can contribute in a range of 'mainstream' roles in the same way as any other employee", added Guha.
The organisations working for the disabled also have played a key role in sensitising the companies to the needs of the disabled. Moreover, they act as intermediaries between both the parties.
According to 2001 census, of the 2.19 crore people with disabilities in India, only 34 per cent are employed, said Raghavan."It's a long way to go as far as the visually impaired are concerned. Whatever has been done is not enough, though it is a right start," said Raghavan.