CHENNAI: “There’s a thought that we can’t do anything. But we want to and can stand on our own feet, and earn,” says Soumya, a disabled Zomato delivery personnel. Soumya’s day begins at 6 am, as she zooms past the city, delivering over 30 orders daily. She is among the 20-odd delivery personnel with disabilities in the Ambattur zone. “I don’t want to be dependent on anyone. I don’t want to just be known as a wife or daughter,” she explains.
Employment for individuals with disabilities is crucial, Soumya says. These delivery jobs — apart from requiring minimum educational qualifications — offer insurance, incentives, medical facilities, flexible timings, and point out fellow disabled delivery personnel Durai Raj and Sasikala. Seated at a stall in Shree Geetha Bhavan, they were scouting for new employees for Zomato at the Mukti Foundation’s first ‘Job Hunt for Differently-Abled Persons’, on Saturday.
Around 157 job seekers — armed with certificates and official documents — interacted with 25 recruiters from firms including Amazon, SBI, and others. In association with Shree Geetha Bhavan Trust, job mela aims to provide a platform for persons with disabilities to connect with potential employers and explore employment opportunities.
For nearly four decades, the Mukti Foundation has been providing artificial limbs to amputees and calipers to those affected by polio. To date, they have distributed over 4,00,000 mobility aids. This year, the foundation decided to expand its services to employment opportunities, “People have this restrictive idea that they can’t do (jobs) but that’s not true. And this will bring awareness,” says Meena Dadha, managing trustee of MS Dadha Foundation.
According to a press release, “(around) 118 individuals with disabilities have been shortlisted to secure positions with competitive salaries following online interviews with various companies.” Among them was Tiruchy-based Deendayal, who highlights the importance of such job fairs, and gaining employment. He says he has been shortlisted for two opportunities and looks forward to a call-back. However, some other beneficiaries, under anonymity, express that often, companies look for only degree-holders, and only limited numbers are hired at job fairs.
In the last few years, several companies, globally, have implemented new policies to hire diverse populations, including those from marginalised and disabled communities. Accenture, too, is on the look-out for candidates, under their diversity and inclusion hiring policy. Accenture HR Abhi Sukanya highlights the importance of policies and flags the lack of accessibility in the job-searching process. Accenture HR Bhuwaneshwar says the policy’s motto is to give equal opportunities to all populations in society.
The valedictory function was held with special guest KM Suceendran of Academic Alliances Group and TATA Consultancy Services. According to the release, he says TCS will soon extend academic support to disabled individuals globally.
