Friends Following is the text of article about VIBEWA’s report on the working conditions of VI in banking industry which was submitted to Dr. Jitentra singh minister-in-charge DoPt about two years ago.
Challenges before blind bank employees Recently, something noteworthy happened which, as it goes, could not capture glaring media attention amidst insurgency and surgical strikes. A delegation of Visually Impaired Bank Employees Welfare Association, VIBEWA, met Dr. Jitendra sing, the Union minister of state in PMO and submitted a report on "Challenges in employment of the visually impaired bank employees in Indian public sector banks. The event is noteworthy in more ways than one: firstly, VIBEWA is the first of its kind industry association of blind and low vision bank employees across banks and cadres established to strive for creating enabling work environment for them and thereby maximizing their productivity in addition to protecting their and industry interests. Secondly, VIBEWA, with its limited resources could do in a couple of years what mammoth NGOs can only dream of in decades--it studied the actual implementation of various government guidelines and laws about employment of visually impaired by collating the actual lived experience of blind and low vision bank employees from all the banks by commissioning the survey on its website and obtained banks' version about the implementation through information under RTI and put forth constructive suggestions furthering the implementation by setting up monitoring mechanisms and plugging a few normative inadequacies in the existing guidelines. This is of utmost significance in a country which can boast of highest per capita count of statutes but which at the same time suffers from perhaps one of the worst catastrophes of "Unimplemented statute book". The implications of disability--particularly sensory disability of sight sound etc.--are not exactly apparent even to well-educated, let alone a layperson. Disability is created as a result of interaction of individual differences in body and mind and the prevailing social, attitudinal and physical infrastructure at a given time. So, for example not being able to see does not necessarily result in not being able to read, write and do myriad other tasks usually done visually provided the required assistive technology is made available. Assistive technology is the technology which makes available the visual things in audio, tactile or enlarged format to the visually impaired. for example, softwares in computer and mobiles read out whatever appears on the screen or presents in a magnified form for the low vision. However, if things are done in their usual visual way only in hard copy, for example, file notings, vouchers, forms, and all other documents in the office, the blind employee will feel left out totally and be marked as being unproductive or perceived as a non-performing asset. However, if all these things are done in electronic mode or required human assistance is provided for reading, etc., blind employees can do as much if not more, as their sighted counterparts. Thus, it is adoption of inclusive practices and infrastructure which can give the needed impetus to visually impaired (VI) bank employees and the required accessible work environment and convert them into fulfilling and fulfilled employees. Blind and low vision persons have been working in Indian banks since long but many have joined only since the beginning of this century as 3% vacancies for persons with disabilities. including 1% for blind and low vision persons, have been reserved in all government jobs including banks vide section 33 of Persons With Disabilities (Equal opportunities, protection of rights and full participation) Act, 1995. The effort of the banks in recruiting persons with disabilities including the visually impaired is praiseworthy even though the required strength of 1% of VI employees is still not achieved in banks. However, right from recruitment to retirement, there are myriad junctures where a visually impaired employee strives to prove herself or himself and where all of us, can pitch in to make it a mutually beneficial endeavor. It is for this purpose that VIBEWA came into being through the initiative of VI bank employees themselves to engage meaningfully with all stake holders. There do exist legal and professional standards in almost all the major countries including USA, UK, Australia and India about not only reserving jobs and affirmative action for persons with disabilities but providing them reasonable accommodation, assistive technology, accessible and inclusive work environment, and non-discrimination. In India too in addition to Disabilities act of 1995 mandating 1% reservation in government employment for blind/low vision, DoPT issued on March 31, 2014, OM No. 36035/3/2o9-Estt.(Res) providing for facilities to persons already in the employment of government. On VIBEWA's insistence, the same was forwarded to Ministry of Finance which it in turn sent to all the public sector banks, RBI IRDA etc. for compliance. It includes positive guidelines on almost all the aspects of employment right from suitable job mapping, all types of training including training on assistive technology, exemption from routine transfers, provision of assistive technology etc. which form the core of work experience for visually impaired. It was expected that the guidelines would make a substantial difference on the ground very soon and would alter the working conditions of all the employees with disabilities including the visually impaired for the better. However, this is precisely what they have failed to do according to the study by VIBEWA. With regard to the overall strength of VI employees in banks, they comprise only 0.29% of the total staff strength; 0.24% at officer cadre, 0.44% at clerical level, and 0.10% at the sub-staff level, far below the stipulated quota of 1%. None of the banks has representation of PWDs on interview boards, and most of them do not sensitize the interview panel about disability issues. Almost 85% of respondents say jobs were not identified or were partially identified. More than 50% respondents reported their job is not suitable for them. None of the banks has any policy for suitable job mapping. More than 50% of employees have not been provided any screen reading and OCR software which are basic essentials for the VI employees to perform their jobs. In around twenty banks, a screen reader is either not provided or provided to very few employees. 30% of respondents need magnifying software but have not been provided. In most banks, respondents reported that assistive technology is not updated to newer versions. 67% of respondents say that internal applications and sites are fully or partially inaccessible. It means that they cannot read or use them with assistive technology like screen reading softwares. In their replies to RTI queries, none of the banks said that all their internal applications and portals are compliant with W3C standards. In most of the banks respondents reported that they are not given posting to their hometown, nor are they exempted from routine transfers or transfers on promotion. They also reported discrimination in promotion including hurdles like mandatory operational, rural-semi urban or branch head assignments. Only ten banks came forth in RTI to say they exempt VI from mandatory operational/rural assignments. Banks' response to RTI queries revealed that there are hardly any officers at higher scales like scale 3 and above, indicating that VI employees are not provided equal opportunities. Actually non-mapping of the appropriate functional areas coupled with little provision for assistive technology and inaccessibility of sites and softwares used in banks make the field non-level for the VI bank employees and tilt the odds against them. Implementation, as usual is the bane of all legal provisions. If only implemented rigorously in the right spirit they have the potential to transform the working life of VI. Almost all the suggestions put forth by VIBEWA to the government of India emphasize the actual implementation of extant guidelines right from recruiting 1% blind actually even by special drives to imparting all types of training equally and accessibly to them, undertaking a multi-factorial job mapping optimizing their productivity, providing required assistive technology and making the sites and softwares accessible by having accessibility audits conducted to make them compliant with international guidelines, exempting them from needless routine and promotional transfers and providing equal opportunities to them in promotions and implementing supreme court's recent judgment on reservation in promotions. actually having liaisoning officers for employees with disabilities and grievance redressal cells for them like SC ST, as is mandated by guidelines would go a long way in ensuring implementation of all guidelines. However, there do exist a few normative inadequacies like no provision for pre-recruitment training to the VI on the lines of SC and ST and no explicit mention of accessibility of Information technology including internal softwares and sites. Actually accessibility of IT products has to be figured at the time of procurement itself and has to be continuously kept in mind throughout the development life cycle of the all products. Banks would do well to take efforts for this as it would benefit not only VI employees but would also make their work processes inclusive and beneficial to all. It is high time government takes this unique endeavor of a self-organized group in the constructive spirit and acts upon the suggestions and takes a step towards implementing United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Persons with Disabilities, UNCRPD, which India has ratified and which provides for universal principles of Equality, Dignity, Non-discrimination, and Accessibility for Persons with disabilities including blind and low vision. सादर / With thanks & Regards राजेश आसुदानी Rajesh Asudani सहायक महाप्रबन्धक AGM बाजार आसूचना ईकाई MIU भारतीय रिजर्व बैंक Reserve Bank of India नागपुर Nagpur 0712 2806846 President VIBEWA Co-Moderator VIB-India A-pilll = Action coupled with Positivity, Interest, Love, Logic and laughter. ________________________________ Caution: The Reserve Bank of India never sends mails, SMSs or makes calls asking for personal information such as your bank account details, passwords, etc. It never keeps or offers funds to anyone. 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