BENGALURU: Having to pivot from in-person mode to a digital-only model, the India Inclusion Summit will see the likes of chess player Viswanathan Anand and Wipro chairman Rishad Premji sharing their inspirational stories
A special month, November is marked by excitement for the differently-abled, who look forward to meetings, meaningful exchanges and mentorship at the India Inclusion Summit (IIS) in Bengaluru.
For the last several years, technologist Ferose VR has been creating awareness on the need for inclusion in the mainstream society. A parent to a special child, Ferose’s parenting journey has been one of extreme emotions. It is that initial despair that led to the creation of an inclusive movement through the IIS, which has given hope, to him and many others.
The month-long celebration of inclusion held between November 7 and 28, will see the likes of renowned chess player Viswanathan Anand, Wipro chairman Rishad Premji and para-badminton athlete Manasi Joshi sharing their thoughts. “People with disabilities are disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Most with intellectual and developmental disabilities require in-person care or critical therapeutic support in their living environments.
Many have temporarily lost access to those services during the pandemic. Also, social distancing and other measures to fight the pandemic have had a more severe impact on people with disabilities who vitally require physical contact with caregivers and loved ones. While virtual interaction, when accessible, and telehealth have many potential advantages, many who cannot verbalise or adequately communicate pain, discomfort or symptoms to providers find it harder. For many, there is no substitute for in-person service,” says Ferose.
Having to pivot from an “in-person first and digital second” to a “digital-only” model was hard on everyone, he adds. “For the last eight years, we’ve looked forward to meeting our friends during IIS. The high point was experiencing the event in person. But we started preparing for a virtual IIS as far back as April and that gave us a headstart.
We rebuilt our online presence, launched our Augmented Reality-enabled mascot, Inclu, and got eight international speakers (many more than we could have ever afforded to fly down!). We have also managed with a much smaller budget – so while there can be no substitute for an in-person event, we still can contribute virtually in a meaningful manner,” he says.
For the last three years, they have wanted to launch something aimed at the youth, knowing that for mindset change to happen, they needed to focus on a younger age group. Which is why this year they are launching a new initiative ‘IIS for Youth’ focusing on the age group of 10-14 years, and have signed up with over 500 schools across the country to participate in the youth event on November 21.
In these times of virtual communication fatigue, the biggest challenge they find is drawing attention of the participants in a online format. “There is an explosion of digital content, and cognitive overload causes a feeling of fatigue. Even if people register for IIS, there is no guarantee they will attend. We have to now curate for attention, not just for content,” he says, adding that he believes the summit will eventually live in a hybrid world where in-person and virtual worlds will blend. “We will develop new ways to make the transition between the two worlds seamless. While the pandemic has accelerated the move to digital, the need for human connection will always remain,” he says.
For details, visit indiainclusionsummit.com