Disabled people in Tamil Nadu welcome better job prospects with WAYV-state government initiative

Chennai-based NGO ‘We Are Your Voice’ has collaborated with the state government for a new project wherein nearly 200 people with different kinds of disabilities have been placed with companies. The prime motive is to make them independent, self-reliant and self-sufficient.

For people with disabilities, being employed even though they have educational qualifications is not an easy task. Societal stigma about disabilities and lack of awareness amongst employers are prime reasons. Chennai-based NGO ‘We Are Your Voice’ (WAYV) has collaborated with the Department of Welfare of Differently Abled Persons in Tamil Nadu to provide employment for disabled people in different sectors. Nearly 200 people have already been placed over past few months with this collaboration.

‘We are your voice’, helping employ people with disabilities

Started in the year 2017, WAYV has been instrumental in helping place disabled people in various companies based on their skills and educational qualifications. Founded by Kasim Basith, the NGO was started primarily to help disabled people live a dignified and independent life. Someone who has been active in social work, Basith understood the plight faced by disabled people and their families. That prompted him to start the venture.

“There were so many reports coming in of disabled people being killed by their own families or parents. I was wondering why and I realized that as parents got older, especially if they are from poor families, they do not know what to do with their disabled child. So what is the solution? Helping these disabled youngsters find a job was the apt thing. They could earn their living and be respected by family. That is what made me start something exclusively to help them find employment opportunities”, says Basith.

Over time, the NGO held job fairs at over eleven cities across India, all of them being successful. “We started getting a bigger turn out of people than what we expected”, adds Basith.

Hundreds of people with physical and intellectual disabilities have been placed with hotels, bakeries, IT companies, textile and manufacturing industries too.

Government stepping up for right causes

According to their latest project done in collaboration with the Department of Welfare of Differently Abled Persons and State Development Policy Council, nearly 200 people have already been placed. With a help desk and volunteers set up in different parts of the state, WAYV helps to find employers and beneficiaries for the project that kick-started in August this year. Over 1000 employers have already stepped forward. Some of the districts where the project is implemented includes Dindigul, Perambalur, Salem, Pudukottai, Madurai and Tenkasi.

“We have been getting a lot of support from government officials too. That is what has made this project a huge success”, says Basith.

“This is one of the pressing issues that we wanted to address since long. For this purpose, we have collaborated with an NGO called ‘We Are Your Voice’. The project is being implemented in 50 underdeveloped blocks at 13 districts in the State”, an official from the Department of Welfare of Differently Abled told The New Indian Express.

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