Breaking the Mould: A Call for True Inclusivity in Indian Workplaces

Worldwide, one in seven of us live with a disability, making it the world’s largest minority group. Closer home, in India, half of the disabled population - about 1.3 crore is employable, yet just 26 per cent of them are employed.

A 2010 study conducted by the International Labor Organization (ILO) indicated that the economic cost of excluding individuals with disabilities ranges from 3 to 7 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in middle and lower-income countries.

Employable people with physical disabilities face multiple challenges in securing a job, staying employed, and building a long-term rewarding career. Many of these barriers to inclusive employment for individuals with disabilities arise from persistent negative assumptions regarding their suitability to work. Even those who successfully navigate exclusionary recruitment processes by diligence or luck sometimes, experience a sense of being overlooked and stigmatized within their workplaces.

This situation is further intensified by insufficient awareness, as employers frequently view disability inclusion as a complex challenge, a potential threat to financial returns, or merely a regulatory requirement for Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), leading to superficial interventions that lack systemic integration.

With India steadily progressing towards economic prosperity, it is also imperative to construct an inclusive workforce that accommodates individuals with disabilities. And, the stark reality of disability discrimination in Indian workplaces can only be rectified through a collective effort involving government bodies, corporate entities, and society at large. By dismantling barriers, fostering inclusivity, and reshaping attitudes, India can genuinely unlock the potential of all its citizens, regardless of their abilities or disabilities. Only then can we aspire to build a truly equitable and progressive society.

It is critical to address the structural and often invisible challenges at the root of the everyday problems of disability-inclusive employment. But how can we rectify them?

These are some areas where corporates and governments could work on to address the existing challenge and make the workplaces more inclusive and accessible in the true essence.

Workplace accessibility- It’s fiscally sound for businesses to envision a universe where disability inclusion is the norm, not the exception - a system that engenders and embraces a broader conceptual understanding of disability and its social model. It includes accessibility and inclusion by design, with bespoke workplace adjustments or specialized equipment to remove or reduce any potential barriers.

Accessibility audits- Conduct internal and external audits, with robust participation of CSR and non-profit champions of diversity and inclusion, along with persons with disabilities, to increasingly make offices and workstations more accessible. A nationwide certification that promotes disability inclusion in businesses and endorses the best-in-class practices of sectoral inclusion champions is another creative and robust means to encourage businesses to make intentional investments in disability inclusion.

Assistive Technology- Creating accessible and inclusive digital experiences with auxiliary aids. One facet of such experience is creating a digital job marketplace where accessible tech platforms could potentially bring together skilled persons with disabilities and inclusive employers, to promote hiring and recruitment.

Culture of disability inclusion– Create a culture of celebrating disability and differences by executing campaigns that support disability forward international days like Global Accessibility Awareness Day, the World Day of the Deaf, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, or #theWorldDisabilityDay to ensure workers with disabilities feel valued and feel a sense of belonging and well-being. Create a strong sense of community among the workforce by conducting light-touch sensitization activities like basic sign language sessions to better communicate with hearing-impaired colleagues.

The incorporation of persons with disabilities into the workforce yields advantages that extend beyond moral considerations. It transcends mere social justice; it becomes a crucial factor in the economic advancement of both men and women with disabilities. This integration plays a vital role in realizing the objectives outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and disrupting the detrimental cycles of poverty, dependence, and exclusion.

This concerted focus on alleviating the social, attitudinal, and physical barriers that restrict the life choices and participation of persons with disabilities in the workforce, underpinned with value paradigms of dignity, autonomy, self-determination, and equity will shape up a world where we focus on their ‘ability’ and not ‘their disability’.

Shreya Ralli is the Director of communications of America India Foundation