Ability Forum

[AccessAbility]

Shivani Gupta and Noida Deaf School, among the 10 recipients of the Helen Keller Award, have encouraged the differently abled every step of the way
Medha Chaturvedi | The Times of India | 3rd December 2008




MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Gupta’s company provides consultancy to corporates looking to hire physically challenged people

  If the list of all those who received the Helen Keller Award this year is any indication, society and private organizations are increasingly becoming sensitized to the needs of the differently abled. Instituted in 1999, the Helen Keller Awards honour 10 individuals and institutes every year for their ‘‘exemplary work towards helping disabled people find positions of equality and dignity in the workplace’’. Times City met two of the recipients to find out the extent of the difference they are making.

   A wheelchair user herself, Shivani Gupta is the co-founder and director of AccessAbility. The organization provides consultancy to corporates looking to hire people with disabilities, advises them on appropriate architecture, as well as runs a human resource portal for prospective employers and job-seekers.

   With degrees in hotel management and architecture, and a PG degree in inclusive environments from UK, Gupta believes in a three-way approach: include, enable and empower. ‘‘I started Access-Ability two years ago with my friends Vikas Sharma, who was my classmate at the inclusive environment course, and Sachin Verma. Our primary aim is to provide a one-stop place to corporates who want to include people with disabilities in their organizations. For this, we work in improving the attitude of people and resort to one-on-one approach,’’ she said. The company’s job portal is called www.employability.co.in.

   AccessAbility has also started an online travel guide for tourists with disabilities and have listed over 2,000 places in Delhi which are disabled friendly. ‘‘This website’s connecting link is provided on the Indian tourism department’s incredible India website,’’ she said.

   Gupta received the award in the individual category on Tuesday.

   The Noida Deaf School, which will be receiving the award in the category of corporates, was started in 2005 by Ruma Roka with just five students. Now, it has a strength of around 350 students who attend various courses free of cost.

   ‘‘A few years ago, I felt the need for someone to teach hearing impaired people to be socially acceptable. So, I learned sign language and started doing volunteer work. In 2005, I started this school to train deaf people. Our training is very specific and employment oriented,’’ said Roka. She added that most of the instructors in her school were deaf and hence their work set a positive example for the students. The school is partly funded by a Mumbai-based organisation, DEEDS and partly by supportive friends, said Roka. On winning the Helen Keller Award, Roka said she was delighted. ‘‘It is like a validation and recognition of my work. More than anything else, it is a motivational factor for my students to work harder to become socially acceptable,’’ she said.

Six awardees in the individual category


Hari Raghavan | SOLUTION SPECIALIST (BANKING) IBM, MUMBAI

Visually impaired, Hari completed his B.Com (first class) from Mumbai in 1997. He is perhaps the only visually impaired MBA specialising in marketing. Always rated as an outstanding performer in his career, Hari helps raise funds for a Bangalore-based NGO, EnAble India which focusses on employment of disabled persons. He also provides training to visually challenged students in areas like marketing and entrepreneurship

Atul Ranjan Sahay | SENIOR MANAGER (IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES) AT TATA STEEL, JAMSHEDPUR

Atul lost his sight in the left eye when he was 14. He graduated with honours in economics from St Anthony's College, Shillong in 1986. In 2003-04, he became the first person with visual impairment to obtain executive diploma in general management from XLRI. He is instrumental in rehabilitating 20 visually impaired persons in Jamshedpur and helping 35 students complete their secondary and higher education

Amutha Shanthy S | MANAGING TRUSTEE, THIYAGAM WOMEN TRUST, MADURAI

Shanthy was born without her left forearm. In 2005, she started the trust to empower physically challenged women from rural areas to create opportunities of self employment. In three years, the trust has trained 57 physically challenged women. At present, there are 310 students learning various skills from the trust

Shilpi Kapoor | FOUNDER DIRECTOR OF BARRIERBREAK TECHNOLOGIES AND NET SYSTEMS INFORMATICS, MUMABI

As a Microsoft certified systems engineer in web content accessibility guidelines, Shilpi specialises in teaching concepts and assisting tools for the visually impaired and founded the first ever computer training centre at the Indian Association for the Visually Handicapped in Mumbai in 1999

Dr Radhike Khanna | VICE-PRINCIPAL OF SPJ SADHNA SCHOOL, MUMABI

A PhD in education, Radhika devoted 25 years of her life to the cause of empowering people with disabilities. She created the first and only five-year polytechnic course in the world that guarantees jobs for disabled and mentally challenged individuals. She has placed over 1,000 mentally challenged persons in productive roles in society and has been called to offer training in Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Kenya

Spource: Times of India

_________________
Website Administrator

AccessAbility

Shivani Gupta and Noida Deaf School, among the 10 recipients of the Helen Keller Award, have encouraged the differently abled every step of the way
Medha Chaturvedi | The Times of India | 3rd December 2008




MAKING A DIFFERENCE: Gupta’s company provides consultancy to corporates looking to hire physically challenged people

  If the list of all those who received the Helen Keller Award this year is any indication, society and private organizations are increasingly becoming sensitized to the needs of the differently abled. Instituted in 1999, the Helen Keller Awards honour 10 individuals and institutes every year for their ‘‘exemplary work towards helping disabled people find positions of equality and dignity in the workplace’’. Times City met two of the recipients to find out the extent of the difference they are making.

   A wheelchair user herself, Shivani Gupta is the co-founder and director of AccessAbility. The organization provides consultancy to corporates looking to hire people with disabilities, advises them on appropriate architecture, as well as runs a human resource portal for prospective employers and job-seekers.

   With degrees in hotel management and architecture, and a PG degree in inclusive environments from UK, Gupta believes in a three-way approach: include, enable and empower. ‘‘I started Access-Ability two years ago with my friends Vikas Sharma, who was my classmate at the inclusive environment course, and Sachin Verma. Our primary aim is to provide a one-stop place to corporates who want to include people with disabilities in their organizations. For this, we work in improving the attitude of people and resort to one-on-one approach,’’ she said. The company’s job portal is called www.employability.co.in.

   AccessAbility has also started an online travel guide for tourists with disabilities and have listed over 2,000 places in Delhi which are disabled friendly. ‘‘This website’s connecting link is provided on the Indian tourism department’s incredible India website,’’ she said.

   Gupta received the award in the individual category on Tuesday.

   The Noida Deaf School, which will be receiving the award in the category of corporates, was started in 2005 by Ruma Roka with just five students. Now, it has a strength of around 350 students who attend various courses free of cost.

   ‘‘A few years ago, I felt the need for someone to teach hearing impaired people to be socially acceptable. So, I learned sign language and started doing volunteer work. In 2005, I started this school to train deaf people. Our training is very specific and employment oriented,’’ said Roka. She added that most of the instructors in her school were deaf and hence their work set a positive example for the students. The school is partly funded by a Mumbai-based organisation, DEEDS and partly by supportive friends, said Roka. On winning the Helen Keller Award, Roka said she was delighted. ‘‘It is like a validation and recognition of my work. More than anything else, it is a motivational factor for my students to work harder to become socially acceptable,’’ she said.

Six awardees in the individual category


Hari Raghavan | SOLUTION SPECIALIST (BANKING) IBM, MUMBAI

Visually impaired, Hari completed his B.Com (first class) from Mumbai in 1997. He is perhaps the only visually impaired MBA specialising in marketing. Always rated as an outstanding performer in his career, Hari helps raise funds for a Bangalore-based NGO, EnAble India which focusses on employment of disabled persons. He also provides training to visually challenged students in areas like marketing and entrepreneurship

Atul Ranjan Sahay | SENIOR MANAGER (IMPROVEMENT INITIATIVES) AT TATA STEEL, JAMSHEDPUR

Atul lost his sight in the left eye when he was 14. He graduated with honours in economics from St Anthony's College, Shillong in 1986. In 2003-04, he became the first person with visual impairment to obtain executive diploma in general management from XLRI. He is instrumental in rehabilitating 20 visually impaired persons in Jamshedpur and helping 35 students complete their secondary and higher education

Amutha Shanthy S | MANAGING TRUSTEE, THIYAGAM WOMEN TRUST, MADURAI

Shanthy was born without her left forearm. In 2005, she started the trust to empower physically challenged women from rural areas to create opportunities of self employment. In three years, the trust has trained 57 physically challenged women. At present, there are 310 students learning various skills from the trust

Shilpi Kapoor | FOUNDER DIRECTOR OF BARRIERBREAK TECHNOLOGIES AND NET SYSTEMS INFORMATICS, MUMABI

As a Microsoft certified systems engineer in web content accessibility guidelines, Shilpi specialises in teaching concepts and assisting tools for the visually impaired and founded the first ever computer training centre at the Indian Association for the Visually Handicapped in Mumbai in 1999

Dr Radhike Khanna | VICE-PRINCIPAL OF SPJ SADHNA SCHOOL, MUMABI

A PhD in education, Radhika devoted 25 years of her life to the cause of empowering people with disabilities. She created the first and only five-year polytechnic course in the world that guarantees jobs for disabled and mentally challenged individuals. She has placed over 1,000 mentally challenged persons in productive roles in society and has been called to offer training in Nigeria, Sri Lanka and Kenya

Spource: Times of India

_________________
Website Administrator

AccessAbility

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[Kr_iyer]

Congrats shivani,

It is really great for all of us belonging tho this forum.

Congrats shivani,

It is really great for all of us belonging tho this forum.

[Nahan_sara]

Hi Shivani

Just come to know about your achievements in  TheTribune. It sounds very pleasant that you & your company is doing so much for disabled.

Congratulations!!!
Warm regards
Pooja Bajaj

Hi Shivani

Just come to know about your achievements in  TheTribune. It sounds very pleasant that you & your company is doing so much for disabled.

Congratulations!!!
Warm regards
Pooja Bajaj

[srividyaa]

Congratulations Shivani Mam.......

Many more awards are yet to come in your path of Success......

Congrats to other Awardees also........

Regards
Srividyaa

Congratulations Shivani Mam.......

Many more awards are yet to come in your path of Success......

Congrats to other Awardees also........

Regards
Srividyaa

[Shantha]

Dear Shivani,
I'm so happy for you!! You should reach many more milestones !!
Heart congragulations!!
Shantha

Dear Shivani,
I'm so happy for you!! You should reach many more milestones !!
Heart congragulations!!
Shantha

[Lacchu]

Hi Shivani

Congrats !! I am really happy to hear this!!

_________________
------------------------
Cheers
Lakshmi Natarajan

Hi Shivani

Congrats !! I am really happy to hear this!!

_________________
------------------------
Cheers
Lakshmi Natarajan

[Shivani]

Hey all,

Thank you so much for all your good wishes. I feel blessed to have so many well wishers.

Love,
Shivani

Hey all,

Thank you so much for all your good wishes. I feel blessed to have so many well wishers.

Love,
Shivani

[Unnimaxx]

wow thats a great news, congrats...........!!!
wish you all the success in future, you have been such an inspration to all......

keep it up!
love and prayers
unni

wow thats a great news, congrats...........!!!
wish you all the success in future, you have been such an inspration to all......

keep it up!
love and prayers
unni

[raghavanpk]

What a wonderful news to hear!  

"Shivani Gupta and Noida Deaf School, among the 10 recipients of the Helen Keller Award, have encouraged the differently abled every step of the way"

Unfortunately my hearing is impaired ! My hearty congrats and best wishes !

What a wonderful news to hear!  

"Shivani Gupta and Noida Deaf School, among the 10 recipients of the Helen Keller Award, have encouraged the differently abled every step of the way"

Unfortunately my hearing is impaired ! My hearty congrats and best wishes !