Empowering Specially Abled Leadership Of Tomorrow

Meera Shenoy, Founder and CEO, Youth4Jobs, has gained national recognition for her steadfast dedication to empowering disabled youth in India. With a vast background in senior government positions and esteemed organisations like the World Bank and the UN, she is utilising her extensive expertise to propel the mission of Youth4Jobs and nurture its organisational development. Edited excerpts:

What inspired you to initiate Youth4Jobs? 

Youth4Jobs has been founded to break the cycle of poverty for young people with disabilities. Our strategy for achieving this goal involves equipping them with modern skills and connecting them to sustainable job opportunities. Although our main focus is on employment, we also recognise the significance of promoting entrepreneurship. Ultimately, our mission is to create a substantial impact on the entire nation of Bharat, guided by the values of Mahatma Gandhi. 

There are 21 disabilities recognised by the Right to PwD Act. For instance, during my interactions with visually impaired youth across the nation, I have observed that a significant number of them struggle to find employment due to their strong focus on securing government positions, which can be quite challenging to attain. As a result, we have implemented innovative approaches such as providing digital training in Jaws/NVDA, English communication skills, coaching in various subjects, to assist visually impaired individuals in their pursuit of government job opportunities. 

How does the organisation prepare disabled youths for employment in companies? 

We have identified that keeping track of the changing needs of companies in the job market is crucial when placing disabled youth in organisations. We ensure that our training programmes are tailored to meet these evolving requirements. Additionally, we understand that training youth with disabilities requires a unique approach, but equipping them with essential skills for the modern world is essential. Therefore, we focus on developing their English proficiency, life skills, soft skills and digital literacy, guiding them towards potential job opportunities in sectors such as retail or e-commerce. 

How does Youth4Jobs convince businesses to hire individuals with disabilities? 

We address any concerns or questions raised by companies, as their hesitation to hire individuals with disabilities often stems from a lack of understanding rather than unwillingness. Our services include providing companies with awareness sessions on various disabilities, developing job role matrices, conducting accessibility audits, organising sign language workshops and offering assistance with assistive devices. Through our workshops, we aim to assist businesses in successfully integrating our trained specially-abled students into their workforce, assuring their role in fostering an inclusive work environment. 

Teaching a disabled person can be a challenging endeavour and when it involves training women with special needs, the obstacles can be even more pronounced. How do you address this issue? 

Women with disabilities face the highest level of marginalisation. Despite the presence of numerous gender programmes, they are often overlooked and treated as just women, making them invisible. During the Covid pandemic, we received numerous calls from women with disabilities, including young widows and mothers. They expressed their desire for financial support. In response, we initiated a special programme and conducted online training sessions in the afternoon to accommodate their household responsibilities in the morning. After six months, a pro bono survey conducted with the help of McKinsey revealed significant improvements in various aspects of our initiative such as family health, education and reduced instances of sexual exploitation. These women, who previously had no voice, now had a say in both their families and communities. Recognising the need for further action, we launched a global initiative called ‘We Do', focussing on empowering women entrepreneurs with disabilities worldwide. 

What steps are you taking to ensure the visibility and inclusion of women with disabilities in the workplace? 

Despite the staggering number of 300 million women with disabilities, they continue to be neglected and receive insufficient attention. So, our priority is to ensure that all platforms, regardless of their purpose, allocate at least 10 per cent of their resources to women with disabilities. Additionally, we are actively collaborating with governments, companies and other organisations to integrate disability inclusion, specifically for women. We have already engaged in discussions with two governments regarding this matter, indicating progress in our efforts. Furthermore, we are in the process of establishing a global award to recognise and celebrate women entrepreneurs with disabilities. 

To address the invisibility of these women, we recently published a booklet titled ‘From Invisible to Visible: Studies on Entrepreneurs with Disabilities from India'. 

Share more about the booklet. 

Our dedicated research team invested considerable time and effort in compiling this publication, as it was challenging to locate relevant information. I had the privilege of unveiling this book at the Zero-conference held at the UN headquarters in Vienna. Our next objective is to release a series of booklets featuring women with disabilities from different regions worldwide. Through these initiatives, we aim to shed light on the experiences and achievements of these remarkable individuals who have triumphed over numerous obstacles to establish themselves as entrepreneurs, despite being underappreciated on an international level. 

How would you describe the success of Youth4Job? 

Our efforts were recognised when we received the MIT Future of the World Asian Award. The judges unanimously agreed that we have a significant impact on the demand and supply dynamics. They suggested that our next step should be establishing a job platform dedicated to persons with disabilities (PwDs). Upon returning to India, I deliberated on whether to pursue this endeavour, considering the substantial investment it would require. Eventually, I decided to move forward with the idea, leading to the establishment of Swarajability. 

Provide more information about Swarajability. 

Swarajability is a platform powered by artificial intelligence that was created in collaboration with IIT Hyderabad. The term ‘Swaraj' symbolises freedom, while ‘ability' reflects our confidence in the skills of people with disabilities. This platform is designed to be fully inclusive, allowing those with visual or hearing impairments to navigate the content effortlessly. Through a simple click of a button, a visually impaired individual can listen to the text on the platform using speech technology and there are also videos presented in sign language for accessibility.