Employers are gradually realising that hiring people with impairments is more than a gesture of goodwill and that employees with disabilities have a lot to offer

Only half of the estimated 3 crore disabled people in India are employable, with only 30 lakh working. According to the 2011 Census, there are 14.9 million men and 11.9 million women with disabilities in the country. The total number of differently abled individuals is more than 18.0 million in rural areas and just 8.1 million in metropolitan areas.

According to Rajesh Aggarwal, IAS, Secretary, Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Department, Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, says, "Almost 10 per cent of the globe's population has some kind of disability. This is something we do not talk about very often, and many times it remains ignored. In our country, it is estimated that about one-third of the disabilities are from birth, one-third are acquired during adulthood due to some accident or infection, and the rest, one-third, are due to old age."

Raising differently-abled kids is difficult. Parents of differently abled children are typically drained and depressed. Their supplies of time and resources for looking after the child are significantly lower than those a differently abled child deserves and requires. Commenting along the same lines, Aggarwal shares one of his experiences: "Last month, in a workshop, a girl told me, through sign language, that she is very happy. She said that after learning sign language, her parents and siblings can talk to her. " Differently abled children are devoid of a communication channel with their parents." As a result, they become estranged from their parents. Hence, it is equally important for parents and family members to learn one of the communication channels to provide their kids with the upbringing they deserve.

Further, Aggarwal explains that very few differently-abled kids reach their full potential. They gradually drop out after the standard 10th, 12th and graduation years. Interestingly, they are more productive than so-called ‘normal employees. A differently-abled person has a 10 times smaller friend circle. Hence, they cannot get distracted easily.

Employers are gradually realising that hiring people with impairments is more than a gesture of goodwill and that employees with disabilities have a lot to offer. Reflecting the same mindset, Aggarwal says, "Research also shows that when you hire a person with a disability as an employee, it increases the rest of the employee’s productivity as well," he adds, "Now we talk of diversity more than disability, and we should celebrate diversity."

Employing individuals with disabilities, a massive and mostly untapped market segment, makes a lot of sense for businesses. However, this necessitates overcoming a fear of the unknown and focusing on skills rather than disabilities.