Hello All, It starts right from there, need to change attitude and mind set of people towards disabled , no harm in CSR and allowances or benefits as a right, words does not make any difference as long as opportunity is offered. Big country , some people can fight for rights , some cannot as they come from different sections of society with different attributes. i.e. poor/rich , educated/ illiterate etc .
Let's keep on doing good. Thank you, Pankaj Kwatra -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Pranay Gadodia Sent: Friday, January 14, 2011 12:23 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [AI] IT companies urged to employ persons with disabilities Hi, The below news item says "Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has called upon Information Technology (IT) companies to provide employment to persons with disabilities as part of their corporate social responsibility." >From the head of a state, should not we expect the paradigm shift in his approach at disability, to look at skilled PwDs as potential workforce which too can meet industry's requirements, instead of thinking to recruit them as a "social" responsibility. Sometimes I feel it should be advocated that the word disability should be replaced with impairment. Word 'Impairment' neutrally indicates only the not normal function at sensory or physical level, and does not presume anything about the abilities of the person. Similary in Hindi the word 'Viklaang' to my mind is more objective than the word 'Nishakt'. Changing the nomenclature which objectively defines the state also is important to bring a change in how the world thinks about the state. regards, Pranay. ----- Original Message ----- From: "pradeep banakar" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Wednesday, January 12, 2011 9:23 PM Subject: [AI] IT companies urged to employ persons with disabilities http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/article107 9312.ece The Hindu BANGALORE, January 11, 2011 IT companies urged to employ persons with disabilities Special Correspondent Literate persons can be employed in BPOs, ITES, says Yeddyurappa Calling for change: Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa, Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya, educationist M.K. Sridhar and sportsperson Malathi Holla inaugurate the national conference on 'IT for persons with disabilities' in Bangalore on Monday. - Photo: K. Gopinathan Chief Minister B.S. Yeddyurappa has called upon Information Technology (IT) companies to provide employment to persons with disabilities as part of their corporate social responsibility. Speaking at the inaugural function of the national conference on 'IT for persons with disabilities', organised by the Department of Information Technology, Biotechnology, and Science & Technology, here on Monday, Mr. Yeddyurappa said that the law mandated reservation of 3 per cent jobs in the Government sector for persons with disabilities. Though no such provision existed in the private sector, the IT sector was capable of providing employment to persons with disabilities who were literate, he said. Fifty-two per cent of persons with disabilities were literate, according to the 2001 Census. The IT sector could fruitfully employ such persons in Business Process Outsourcing units (BPO), Information Technology Enabled Services (ITES) and for software development and technical writing. He cited the example of companies such as IBM, Wipro and Microsoft, which were employing persons with disabilities. Of the 7 lakh jobs expected to be created as part of the deals signed during the recent Global Investors Meet in Bangalore, as many as 3 lakh were in the IT sector. Mr. Yeddyurappa expressed optimism over the creation of another 4 million jobs through the proposed Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) near Devanahalli. He also called upon IT companies to make their workplaces disabled-friendly. Higher Education Minister V.S. Acharya, who also holds additional charge of IT and BT Department, lamented that precious little had been done for the benefit of persons with disabilities. Neither had they been provided job opportunities nor had a "barrier-free" environment been created for their benefit, he said. He reiterated the Chief Minister's appeal to the private sector to provide employment to persons with disabilities. Executive Director of Karnataka Knowledge Commission M.K. Sridhar, who delivered the keynote address, emphasised the need for companies which employed persons with disabilities not to view the gesture as "charity" but as their "right". Out of the 600 million disabled persons worldwide, as much as 80 per cent lived in developing countries, he said. Website launched Earlier, Mr. Acharya launched a website, www.itforpwd.com, which seeks to provide a platform for leveraging the benefits of IT tools to help integrate persons with disabilities into the mainstream. Mr. Yeddyurappa felicitated Charudatta Yadav, who developed the world's chess software with speech, Naveed Aslam Hagalvadi, an IT personality, and Pavithra Y.S., who runs a BPO employing only disabled persons. Sportsperson Malathi Holla and Principal Secretary to the Department of IT, BT and Science & Technology Ashok Kumar C. Manoli were present. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ -------- Precious little has been done for the benefit of persons with disabilities: Acharya 'View gesture of employing persons with disabilities not as charity but as their right' -- With Regards Pradeep T.S Email: [email protected] Mobile: 9845925188 Skype: pradeepsocialwork
