A year into its inception in 2011, the founders of the Mann, a Mumbai-based NGO that offers training in making art and crafts products to people with intellectual disability바카라IQ below 70바카라were in for a surprise. Four of their beneficiaries had started imitating the trainers, using the commands, action cues like flash cards, etc., to direct fellow students. In encouragement, the foundation hired them as assistant trainers on a monthly stipend.
The remuneration brought a sea change. The students, who mostly belonged to lower income groups living in chawls, slums or single-parent households, felt a sense of purpose while their families no longer saw them as a burden. It prompted the founders to design a curriculum that identified mainly housekeeping/laundry roles in industries such as F&B, corporate, retail, hospitality and art, suitable for people with intellectual disability, based on which training programmes were created. But the plan hit a roadblock when companies refused to employ the students.
바카라For almost two years, we were shunned. Most companies didn바카라t even hear us out, saying these people don바카라t belong in an office. Finally, Café Zoe in Mumbai (now defunct) hired one beneficiary. Their instant feedback was that habits like punctuality were achieved among other staff after the new member joined,바카라 recalls co-founder Beverly Louis. 바카라If they had no intention to work the next day, they would go up to other employees and say, 바카라Tomorrow I바카라m not coming. I바카라m going to be unwell but actually, I am going to attend a wedding.바카라 This refreshing honesty made others feel silly for not being open,바카라 says Louis.
Word spread and other restaurateurs approached Café Zoe, who put them in touch with the NGO. Now, 60+ companies are employment partners, including Microsoft and KPMG. In the pandemic, the curriculum was digitised. 바카라We shared it with NGOs across India that are experiencing a shortage of funds, staff and resources. NGOs are already struggling to sustain, so why add competitiveness to it?바카라 Louis reasons.
The training is free of cost as it is run on donations. Beneficiaries mostly complete their training within 6-8 months, while the severe cases can take three years. 바카라We have a simulated setup at the centre, and for the first two weeks, expose them to all industries and identify the jobs best suited for them. For instance, those on the autism spectrum do well with process-oriented roles involving a routine like supermarket attendants that requires them to arrange items, do data entry, check expiry dates, handle cash registers, etc.바카라
After a beneficiary is employed, Mann conducts sensitisation drives with the company바카라s employers about the individual and their disability. A job coach, who is a Mann volunteer, accompanies the individual to work for the first two weeks, and thereafter a fellow employee or 바카라work buddy바카라 is trained to help the individual thereafter. 바카라At present, companies want to ride the diversity and inclusion wave. But most organisations comply with the government바카라s rule of two per cent disability quota by hiring physically or hearing impaired, not intellectually challenged.바카라 Still, the success stories of Mann students are many. About 200 Mann beneficiaries are currently salaried employees, earning anything between Rs 7K to 35K. 바카라These are children of maids, taxi drivers, who now contribute towards their siblings바카라 education and down payments for their homes,바카라 notes Louis, with pride.
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