NGO rues poor job prospects for people with disabilities : Guwahati

Shishu Sarothi, a non-profit organization for rehabilitation and training for those suffering from multiple disabilities, has said job opportunities are few in the city for people with disabilities and said it aims to dig out more scope for such persons both in the private and public sector.

Shishu Sarothi launched the Disability Employment Initiative in 2010 to provide empowerment to the differently abled both in Assam and Meghalaya and has been working on providing empowerment to such persons. The NGO has also been working on providing education, rehabilitation, training, employment and protection of the rights of these people.

The executive director of Shishu Sarothi, Arman Ali, said, "The city has been developing economically over the years and a number of companies have been established here. But the scope for the differently abled has been extremely limited. This issue needs to be addressed. We are trying to sensitize both the companies as well as the disabled people on this."

He added, "We have organized the first-ever job fair for persons with disabilities, CareerAccess2010, in the Northeast, where 22 private sector organizations and 352 qualified persons with disabilities took part."

Saswati Barman, the project coordinator for disability employment initiative at Shishu Sarothi, said, "The problem lies at both ends with regards to the jobs. We are trying to provide employment for people with disabilities in both the public and private sector. Besides infrastructural changes, more confidence needs to be instilled in differently abled people."

Barman said, "The industries and organizations need to be more sensitized and they should be willing to employ people with disability."


Source : TOI , 7th July 2013