In India: 29 Persons With Disabilities Are Employed Per 10,000 People!

As per a study conducted in India, throughout FY18 and FY21, there were 30–32 persons with disabilities per 10,000 employees. For FY22, this number dropped to 29, which is the lowest in five years.

Don’t you think, if the workplace is suitable, a person with a disability can perform in almost all professions?

But, several studies conducted in both developed and developing nations reveal that the employment rates and unemployment rates of disabled individuals are significantly lower than those of non-disabled people.

• Discrimination in recruiting practices.
• Work restrictions due to disabilities.
• Difficulty maintaining employment after the onset of a disability.
• Lack of access to essential support services.

In the pre-pandemic market, persons with disabilities previously faced obstacles. But COVID-19 has increased some of these obstacles.

Although more and more job applications and interviews are online, many persons with disabilities lack access to assistive technologies. I spoke to a family friend to get insight into her life with cerebral palsy.

A glimpse into Gnanaprasanna Sriram’s life with Cerebral Palsy

Gnanaprasanna Sriram is a thirty-three-year-old woman who was diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy.

A group of disorders known as cerebral palsy has an impact on a person’s mobility, balance, and posture. It is the most common motor disability in one’s early life.

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But, cerebral palsy is not a learning disability and does not affect a person’s intelligence on its own. However, some individuals with cerebral palsy may have a learning disability. The cause of cerebral palsy could be a brain injury that occurs before, during, or immediately after birth, such as a lack of oxygen or sickness.

She had Coloboma iris, because of which she has had to wear glasses since she was nine months old. A coloboma is a defect in the eye’s iris. It might appear as a black notch along the pupil’s edge with variable depths, giving the pupil an uneven shape.

However, nothing stopped her from achieving her goals. She attended Vidya Sagar’s special needs school and participated in the Abilympics competition conducted once every four years.

She went for the International round for painting in the Czech Republic and bagged first and won a gold medal.

There was a lot of discouragement from people around her, but she now holds a double degree in BSc. Nutrition Dietetics and Bsc. Multimedia.

She says that her parents are her pillars of strength. Her parents provided her with all the support she needed and travelled with her far and wide so that she wouldn’t miss out on anything.

“If you can dream it, you can do it.”~ Walt Disney

She always followed her dreams, and her story enlightened and uplifts everyone reading it.

The sad reality of her positive story

Her journey is heart-warming.

However, securing work hasn’t been easy for her. She has been searching for openings for more than four years to sustain herself, and unfortunately hasn’t found anything. I hope society can promote inclusivity by slowly eradicating stigma.

There should be more awareness initiatives to inform people about the many types of disabilities. They experience the harshest stigma and severe social isolation.

The purpose of this interview was to create awareness about people with disabilities and their struggle with securing work. And to help people who are going through the same problems relate to and understand what they are going through.

I wish more people come forward with their experiences to fight the stigma and remind others that they are not alone.

Image source: still from the film Guru, edited on CanvaPro

Author Note: My friend Aswathy helped by editing and refining the piece.

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