NIEPID job fair opens up possibilities for PwDs

HYDERABAD: Around 250 persons with disabilities (PwDs) attended a job fair called Accessibility Conclave, organised by the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities (NIEPID), Secunderabad, and Young Indians, a non-profit and an integral part of Confederation of Indian Industry (CII).

The event at NIEPID was held to provide opportunities to differently abled people, most of whom are students at NIEPID under the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (Divyangjan), Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment.

Young Indians chairperson Shivani Loya told TNIE, “The job fair aims to provide opportunities to PwDs in various industries, including hotels, MNCs and supermarkets. This will provide access and therefore bridge the gap between them and the outer world.”

NIEPID Director BV Ram Kumar said the Institute is partnering with Young Indians across different verticals. “The event aims to sensitise society and show PwDs how to lead their lives independently. The idea is about prevention, early intervention and rehabilitation.”

The institute, which trains students for several government exams under various programmes, has placed students at KIMS hospital, Microsoft (at data entry) and stores such as Ratandeep and others.

Speaking at the event, guest speaker Sai Kaustuv Dashgupta, a visual designer in an IT company who suffers from Osteogenesis, better known as brittle bones, advised aspirants to have a passion for learning, create a strong portfolio, and mix with right-minded people. “Differently abled people are not bechara (helpless). We need empathy. When I was job-seeking in 2019, people who saw me in a wheelchair used to question how I could be part of the IT sector if only one of my hands was working. But I proved it by giving a demonstration,” he said.