KOCHI:Born mute, Joby is brimming with excitement when asked about his job at Impact. Employing more than twenty others like Joby, this company is not any charity organisation or trust for the differently abled, but a trusted name in metal works industry for more than a decade.
Coming in as unskilled trainees, the company doesn’t differentiate these differently abled people from others. They are trained for two to three months before getting into the real work. Having employed more than fifty mute people over the years, the superintendents are well versed in sign language.“They understand us easily, whether it be about corrections to be made or new models to be created. With time, there is little we have to clarify. They have become experts in what they do,” says one of the supervisors.
The working environment is also comfortable for the workers as they are able to communicate with each other easily. Sharing their experience of working at Impact through their supervisor, many workers admit that finding jobs was difficult before joining the firm. Either the employers refused to hire them or were hired for temporary contract work with minimum pay. But here the job is secure and well paid, with pay raises and other perks included.
Natives of Kochi, people from other parts of Kerala as well as north Indians are present in this lot. When asked about how such a big number of verbally challenged people came searching for work at the same place, the management says that the word was spread through social networking sites by the first batch of employees. People came from far and near with information forwarded through whatsapp groups. With accommodation provided by the company near the main building itself, commute is not a major issue for any of them.
A Kochi-based firm with clients from all over India, all the steelworks are done in the factory here and transported to other locations. Major companies like KMCL feature in their clientele list. The manager, a proficient employer, sees everything in his office as a norm including the uncommonly large number of differently abled workers under him. “They do their work like everyone else, and they get paid for it. It is no social service or charity, they are very able at what they do. At hiring stage, everyone is unskilled and we have to train all the employees alike,” he tells the curious outsiders.
Difficulties and problems faced inside the company because of the incapacity of the workers to verbally communicate are close to nil. However, same is not the case with regard to on-site works. There have been some instances when people have been apprehensive about having mute workers on their site and demanded a replacement. Also, it is sometimes difficult for the workers to commute to new sites alone, as asking for directions is difficult.
The success story of the Impact group is an eye-opener for many who still maintain a prejudiced attitude towards differently-abled people and are skeptic about their abilities. It is well said that action speaks louder than words. Sometimes, the action alone can convey multitudes