We The People: Creating A Job Market For The Intellectually Disabled

A year into its inception in 2011, the founders of the Mann, a Mum­bai-bas­ed NGO that offers training in making art and crafts products to people with int­ellectual disability—IQ below 70—were in for a surprise. Four of their benefici­a­ries had sta­r­ted imitating the trainers, usi­ng the comma­nds, action cues like flash cards, etc., to dir­ect fellow students. In enc­ouragement, the foundation hired them as assistant trainers on a monthly stipend.

The remuneration brought a sea change. The students, who mostly belonged to low­er income groups living in chawls, slums or single-parent households, felt a sense of purp­ose while their families no longer saw them as a burden. It prompted the founders to des­ign a curriculum that identified mai­nly housekeeping/laundry roles in industr­i­es such as F&B, corporate, retail, hos­­pi­tality and art, suitable for people with intellectual disability, based on which training programmes were created. But the plan hit a roadblock when companies refused to employ the students.

“For almost two years, we were shunned. Most companies didn’t even hear us out, saying these people don’t belong in an office. Finally, Café Zoe in Mum­bai (now defunct) hir­ed one beneficiary. Their instant feedback was that habits like punctuality were achi­e­ved among other staff after the new member joined,” recalls co-founder Beverly Louis. “If they had no intention to work the next day, they would go up to other employees and say, ‘Tomorrow I’m not coming. I’m going to be unwell but actually, I am going to attend a wedding.’ This refreshing honesty made others feel silly for not being open,” says Louis.

Word spread and other restaurateurs app­r­oached Café Zoe, who put them in touch with the NGO. Now, 60+ companies are employm­ent partners, including Microsoft and KPMG. In the pandemic, the curriculum was digitised. “We shared it with NGOs across India that are experiencing a shortage of funds, staff and resources. NGOs are already struggling to sus­tain, so why add competitiveness to it?” Louis reasons.

The training is free of cost as it is run on donations. Beneficiaries mostly complete their training within 6-8 months, while the severe cases can take three years. “We have a simulated setup at the centre, and for the first two weeks, expose them to all industries and identify the jobs best suited for them. For instance, those on the autism spectrum do well with process-oriented roles involving a routine like supermarket attendants that requires them to arrange items, do data entry, check expiry dates, handle cash registers, etc.”

After a beneficiary is employed, Mann conducts sensitisation drives with the company’s employers about the individual and their disability. A job coach, who is a Mann volunteer, accompanies the individual to work for the first two weeks, and thereafter a fellow employee or ‘work buddy’ is trained to help the individual thereafter. “At present, companies want to ride the diversity and inclusion wave. But most organisations comply with the government’s rule of two per cent disability quota by hiring physically or hearing impaired, not intellectually challenged.” Still, the success stories of Mann students are many. About 200 Mann beneficiaries are currently salaried employees, earning anything between Rs 7K to 35K. “These are children of maids, taxi drivers, who now contribute towards their siblings’ education and down payments for their homes,” notes Louis, with pride.

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