The mirage of PWD Inclusion...

As much as this topic is spoken about at length these days across all the sectors, the crude reality remains that this segment is still considered as more of 'untouchable'; the greater or more visible the disability is, higher are the chances of one being distanced from and felt embarrassed by the 'normal' society and it's prevalent ways of survival.

Blame it on inaccessible infrastructure, insensitivity or the lack of opportunity to mingle with this community during our formative years, biases do happen often even though everyone is aware that it only takes a fraction of second for anyone to move from one side of the pendulum to other...

When we speak about tapping into this otherwise 'untouchable' pool, the inclusion needs to be displayed at a holistic level. Hiring and seamless induction into an organization in 21st century should just be a beginning and not an end in itself. If hiring a specific percentage of PWD to fulfill the mandate is the only goal, trust me it will not be beneficial for either party in the long run. It will only foster the charity model within the organizational framework rather than profit based business sense.

We need to move away from the forced fitment based on disability arising out of our own perceptions. What is required is more of mentor-ship and sponsorship based on someone's capability. More trust will lead towards major accomplishments. It's high time we think how to include this workforce in Team building activities and provide them also with a platform to engage in extra-curricular activities rather than assume that they will be happy being a mute spectator.

The holistic inclusion is not a herculean task or takes a mammoth effort, it only needs a mental shift, an innovative mind and a balanced approach.

Hope I was able to drive some points across and nudge the decision makers in my contact list to sprung up into real action and make an Impact on PWD inclusiveness! :)