India Inc taking steps to build a future for people with disabilities
As the world marks the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December 3, companies including Accenture, Amazon, KFC, ITC, L&T, Mercedes Benz Research and Development India and Marico are adopting a 360-degree approach towards PwD inclusion.
On one hand, they’re working to overcome barriers and biases that set back employees with disabilities and provide them with leadership opportunities, mentoring and future career pathways; on the other, they’re accelerating hiring efforts, as overall PwD representation in the workforce remains dismally low.
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Experts said that improving overall representation will take time, but efforts are on.
“There is a lot of ground yet to be covered, but organisations are focusing hard on increasing representation and driving an equitable and inclusive culture for PwDs,” said Leenika Khattar, director of diversity, inclusion, and belonging – at IT industry body Nasscom. A June 2023 Aon-Nasscom study on the DEI landscape in India Inc showed that PwDs are part of the DE&I agenda in 83% of companies.
At Larsen & Toubro, among the current headcount of the PwD category of employees, about 40% are in the managerial cadre, leading teams and projects across various businesses.
“Considering our industry, it is challenging to hire people with disability at site locations; however, we are exploring roles and locations that meet their needs. We have the leadership buy-in for our overall DEI efforts,” said Dr C.
