Seek talent beyond familiar types of disabilities, say researchers
The Hindu
Researchers from IIT-Madras conducted a study aimed at understanding the reasons certain kinds of disabilities are deterrents to hiring; universal design principles necessary at workplaces, they said
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras (IIT-M), conducted a study to understand the difference in employment rates among persons with different types of disabilities. The study was aimed at understanding the reasons certain kinds of disabilities are deterrents to hiring.
Researchers Lata Dyaram, associate professor at the institute’s Management Studies department, and her doctoral student Vasanthi Suresh interviewed leaders of 17 public and private sector organisations. They found that stereotypical views or unconscious bias to some types of disabilities and factors such as cost of workplace adjustments, accessibility and value addition that they see from past experience determine hiring decisions.
While public sector organisations are under pressure to comply with legislations and mandates, the private sector relies on customer and industry-related trends. Contextual factors also determine the influence the decisions an employer makes. Familiarity with the disability, bias and architectural barriers besides external pressures unique to the organisation such as industry trends, customer biases and quota system play a key role, the study found.
The election authorities are gearing up for the counting of votes cast in the simultaneous elections to Lok Sabha and Assembly seats in Andhra Pradesh, scheduled to be held on June 4. The Collectors and Election Officers of Visakhapatnam, Anakapalli and Alluri Sitharama Raju (ASR) districts said on May 23 (Thursday) that their teams were ready for the counting of votes.
Responding to the prolonged water scarcity, the residents of the area took to the streets in protest on Wednesday. The protest, which drew attention to their plight, stopped only after the intervention of the police. It was not until 1.30 p.m. that a 4000-litre tanker was finally delivered by BWSSB, providing relief to the water-starved residents.