Empowerment of persons with disabilities (PwDs) has been an important part of CII’s agenda for promoting and enabling inclusion. Since 2006, CII has been working towards mainstreaming PwDs into the workforce by sensitizing industry members, facilitating employment and improving access to services and facilities. CII has undertaken various initiatives to enable inclusion like formulating a corporate code on disability, creating a job portal especially for PwDs (www.ciispecialabilityjobs.in), creating manuals and films to sensitize & assist companies with hiring processes, facilitating employment through dedicated recruitment drives, and promoting barrier free workplaces to enable access to services and facilities.
CII has also facilitated the setting up of PwD Sector Skill Council to bridge the gap between what the industry wants and what the skilling curriculum ought to be for PwDs. CII has set up a National Committee on Special Abilities which comprises of industry leaders, institutions and experts in accessibility and employability. The Committee’s focus is on creating champions from within the industry, making workplaces accessible and promoting enabling environment conducive for the inclusion of PwDs.