Allyship & Inclusive Work Environments For Persons With Disabilities

"It is important to have an inclusive and equitable work environment for everyone. At the same time, we have different streams, and all these streams are led by business people, not by HR. So it is a business-led initiative," said Meha Grover, Director and Chief of Staff, Office of the CEO, Societe Generale Global Solution Center.

Rakesh Prasad, AVP – HR (IFS), Indigo, discussed the role of allyship in assimilating persons with disabilities (PWD) in company culture during the BW People Ask Insights Disability Positive Summit & Awards. He stated, "First, we need to understand the barriers to a person with disabilities. One of the primary barriers is the attitudinal barrier, which leads to underconfidence in the disabled person."

The important stages in allyship are the skilling stage, which helps disabled individuals work in different areas successfully, and the interview stage, which develops the confidence of the candidate. Diversity and inclusivity are critical components.

When asked how Uber deals with persons with disabilities, Shiva Shailendran, Director of Regional Business Operations and Supply Growth, Uber India & South Asia, replied, "Uber is solving for the inclusion of not only employees but also our customers. Over the last few years, we have had multiple issues where our drivers were not accommodating disabled persons, so it is our responsibility as Uber to ally with consumer partners."

Teaching at intersections is crucial, and this requires us to be mindful of any circumstances related to race, gender, ability, or socioeconomic status that may impact an individual's development. 

Ira Singhal, Special Secretary, Education, Arunachal Pradesh, Ministry of Education, shared her experience as a disabled woman. She stated, "In India if you were born a woman, you have a lot of challenges. As a disabled woman, you have even more challenges. You have to prove to every person that you deserve the opportunity. I was lucky in the corporate sector because people looked more at my ability than any other thing."