Feedback on Enable India – 8, 9

Bhavya from Picorp wrote these words when asked to give feedback about Enable
India. Picorp has supported us and we are very grateful for their support!! – Shanti Raghavan, Founder and Managing Trustee, Enable India | Ashoka Fellow

“Inspite of all the uncertainties of an upcoming organization – be it the infrastructure problems or the need for trained staff or the response of the disabled to the training, what convinced up here at picorp is the positivism that inspires Enable India that is visible in Shanthi’s hopeful mirth filled with childlike enthusiasm to work and work more facing all the odds to bring about that unknown confidence in the minds of the disabled.Enable
India is a silent revolution that dreams of an all inclusive society where nothing is excluded. This is what we believe shall empower not only the disabled, but also our nation.” 

I asked one of our long standing volunteers Anitha Murthy, who is also now a member of the board to pen her thoughts. She has been with us for a very long time and we count on her for anything and everything! Here are her words which mean a lot to us: – Shanti

 EnAble
India is, to me, a very unique NGO. Unique because its vision is path-breaking and brings a completely new perspective to the current NGO scenario. EnAble
India is also vibrant and enterpreneurial in nature. It combines all the flair of a professional startup to the social responsibilities of an NGO, and that in itself, is highly commendable. Its uncompromising stand on quality, and its constant endeavour to go for a win-win, despite all odds (and the odds are quite considerable), is what makes it so special. No task is too little, no problem insurmountable. It is this upbeat and positive attitude that makes EnAble India achieve its objectives with such admirable success.

Hats off to the team, and to Shanti for their untiring efforts in being true EnAblers!

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Feedback on Enable India – 6, 7

Note from Melita George below (She has been our main contact point at IBM  for employment at IBM. ) It has been a pleasure working with IBM due to its great culture and also because of amazing people like Melita who are passionate about what they do – Shanti Raghavan, Founder and Managing Trustee, Enable India | Ashoka Fellow”

When I look back at all the great work that EnAble India has done in partnering with IBM India till date… I see days which were full of 100% dedication, 100% hard work, and above all, the passion to make a difference!  IBM continues its efforts to be a truly inclusive employer for all talent and partnering with EnAble India was a sure step forward towards the goal…The excitement level of the team is contagious and every project we work on has the highest level of quality and professionalism .. .
Congrats to Shanti and her team at EnAble India and  I am excited about what the future holds for us together…. Continue to dream BIG.. !”
– Regards, Melita George, India Program Lead – PwD & FWO [Diversity] , IBM India Pvt Ltd
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We have had a very fruitful partnership with Cafe Coffee Day and I asked Shyamala Deshpande of Cafe Coffee Day to pen her thoughts… Her open mindedness and support has meant a lot to us. Here are her observations: –  Shanti

“Enable India partnered with us in a unique pilot programme where we integrated the hearing impaired candidates in a customer facing role in F and B retail. A specially designed training and counseling programme devised jointly with Enable India ensured we had a  hitherto uncharted  employee segment tapped to release a pool of brewmasters with a  professional attitude and commitment to quality ! Today these  silent brewmasters ensure every single customer gets the perfect cuppa coffee .

Enable India opened our eyes to an entirely different world of silent performers. It created a  revolution of sorts in the way we looked at people capabilities and  inspired our entire team to perform and forget our personal bickerings and  problems !All we could hear and admire in the hearing impaired brewmasters programme  was their ABILITY TO PERFORM Today we have created a unique self sustaining business model where corporate social responsibility and business considerations are both given their due and we are delighted with our association with the indefatigable  Shanti Raghavan and her team!”

– Shyamala Deshpande, Sr General Manager, HR and Training, Cafe Coffee Day

Feedback on Enable India – 5

This note is from Dinesh Kaushal, totally blind, programmer by profession. He has known Enable India for a long time in a personal capacity (when he was working on a low cost screen reader for the blind – SAFA under NAB-Delhi’s guidance and with me helping in project managing this for some time). He is also an interested observer and a volunteer.for Enable India – Shanti Raghavan, Founder and Managing Trustee, Enable India | Ashoka Fellow

From the time I know you and your organization (personally and or from your work), every time I have seen absolute love and passion put in to each action. I am not interested in much comparison with other organizations, but still do not fail to notice outstanding work EnableIndia is doing. and why EnableIndia is able to do outstanding work, is the love for each human being without discrimination. I have personally observed your interaction with people, and amazingly, “everyone is equal” is visible in your actions, and there is no need for elaborate speeches on that.

All of us have desire to contribute to the society in one or the other way. Some are able to do it with their actions, and yet others have to limit themselves by only helping someone who is willing and able to do it with their actions. If I get chance to contribute by my action or with financial resources, I would prefer to do it with an organization which is efficient, has passion, and top of all, treats each human being with equality and love. And I have seen all the above and others in your organization.

with good wishes.

Dinesh Kaushal,

Programmer, Code Factory

Enable India Feedback – 4

Here is a very sweet note from Vinod Prakash about us (Vinod is visually impaired, was a computer trainee at Enable India, working currently in HR dept of Aditi technologies)

I am Vinod Prakash & my friend calls me Vinu, Vini, Vinod etc. I belong to lower middle-class agriculture family, which reside in village called Tharikatte, Which comes in Bhadravathi taluk of Shivamogga district. There were no basic infrastructure facilities in my village. My father is an agriculturist-small Businessman & my mother is a housewife. I have 2 elder sisters & 1 elder brother. When I was doing my PUC, I got vision problem, which changed my course of education& life. Though I wanted to do some professional courses, lack of awareness about visual impairment, made me to change my course . I completed my M A in History & Archaeology with P G Diploma in Archaeology & museology, in which I got 1st rank. Since I was struggling a lot to read & write, I got depressed.At that time I met one guy called Mallikarjun through whom I came to know about visually challenged World & also came to know that even visually challenged people can work on a computer through which I can read & write. I thought to learn computer to fulfill my dream to become a Lecturer since I found that computer is the only means through which I can read & write. He suggested me to join Enable India & I came to
Bangalore & joined Enable India. 

Joining Enable India has completely changed my way of thinking & my way of life. In Enable India, I learnt not only Computer but also the professionalism that the corporate world demand & most importantly the true humanism. I learnt Computer, which has well guided, well planned  curriculum & time schedule. The instructors were awesome. There are not only brilliant teachers but also nice human beings & of course good friends. 

I don’t think that Enable India needs any testimony or some words by any people to prove its achievement. It’s actions itself speaks louder than my words.What I can tell about Shanti mam?, She is just like my mom & she is my true inspiration. The training that I have got in Enable India has opened new possibilities in corporate World for me, which I had never thought. Because, it was my belief that lectureship is the only dignified job that I should opt, but, training of Enable India has made me to think about different possibilities that visually challenged people have in corporate World. 

 Finally at the crucial stage of placement, they put me on project, which helped me lot, where I learnt many basic things like dedication to work, time management & simple thing like, how to write status report etc. Here I came to know about Human resource profession, which I thought , a good option to choose. Hence, I did small research on H R career & got valuable guidance & suggestions from my instructors & Shanti mam, which led me to Aditi Technologies, where I am working as a H R trainee from last 1 year. 

Even after the placement we are getting much needed work place solutions, whenever we need & it is most important for us to do our work efficiently & prove our ability to become successful professionals with career growth profile. 

Three characters have played major role in the construction of my personal & professional life, which are unforgettable. One is my mother, who taught me about values of life. 2nd one is Rashtriya swayam sevak Sangh, which gave me social conscious, national perspective, universal human values & finally, the Enable India, which really Enabled me to discharge my all duties as a son, brother, friend & as a human. to whom I am always been grateful. What I could say other than Enable India is just GREAT. There are several organizations, which have false claims but Enable India is the only one organization, which is working for disabled without caring for fame. 

Note: Vinod’s note is heartfelt, hence I have kept the last line as well. However, we all know that there are many organizations working hard for the disabled who are passionate and committed. and it would be unfair to believe we are the only ones committed to the disabled. – Shanti Raghavan, Founder and Managing Trustee, Enable India | Ashoka fellow

Feedback on Enable India – 3

Rufina Fernandes, CEO of NASSCOM foundation gave the following feedback about Enable India

I was fortunate to have met with Shanti last year, although we have tried to get in touch even in my previous avatar as Head of CSR in an IT company.  Shanti is a brilliant example of what I call the “Power of One” – which is the contribution starting with one individual, multiplying through the sharing of passion, enthusiasm and spirit of the cause to reach out to many many others who need the support…. Like what Mother Teresa and Mahatma Gandhi were able to achieve in their life times. I sincerely hope that Enable India under the leadership of Shanti is able to reach greater heights in helping the people with disabilities understand and achieve their true potential.   

Shanti has inspired and motivated me to continue to focus on the cause of disability which we are doing through NASSCOM Foundation in our own little way.  We wish Enable India all the very best in everything they do and plan in the future.  We will support them always”

Feedback on Enable India – 2

Recently, I contacted many of our wellwishers (such as candidates, organizations, companies, experts) and asked them for feedback on our organization. I wanted to include their feedback in our annual report – I felt this was the best way to assess the impact of our activities so far…. Though we have felt that all our actions have been aligned to our vision of economic independence for persons with disabilities, nothing could have prepared us for the response – The response has overwhelmed us! Since we cannot publish the entire feedback of each person in the annual report, I am posting the feedback on our blog…. – Shanti Raghavan, Founder & Managing Trustee, Enable India | Ashoka Fellow 

RAJIV KHANDELWAL, ASHOKA FELLOW, DIRECTOR OF AAJEVIKA BUREAU (which works for the livelihoods of migrant labourers of Rajasthan)  – His team along with him spent half a day at Enable India a month back so that we could mutually benefit from each other’s work. His feedback:

What I want to say is how heady and inspired all of us have remained since those couple of hours we spent with you and the Enable India team in Bangalore.

In our own work at the Aajeevika Bureau we struggle with the challenge of providing those with social and economic disadvantages a real competitive edge and advantage. And in that sense Enable India shows us a tremendous example of how to triumph over adversity! The wonderful thing is that its not just about ideas and constructs. Your training tools, services, placement advise, follow ups, tests and counselling sessions are all very precise and pragmatic tools .. we have already plagiarised some of these so thanks very much for making them available so readily!

The other thing that my team really found very special is the no-nonsense, business and output oriented nature of Enable India’s work .. finally there are jobs to be done and disabilities have to be normalised rather than capitalised .. thats something really relevant for us too .. our training and placement work with unskilled migrant labour reminds us always that its excellence that will matter, not the heart tug!!

So thanks for giving us such quality time .. the Aajeevika team came away almost humbled and really fired up too! Please visit us too some day soon .. we can show you a trick or two as well, even if not with so much animation and humor as you bring into your work … many thanks to all and the best to you always,

Rajiv Khandelwal ,

Director

Aajeevika Bureau, 38 Mangalam Complex, Siphon Colony, Udaipur 313 004

(Rajasthan)

Feedback on Enable India – 1

Recently, I contacted many of our wellwishers (such as candidates, organizations, companies, experts) and asked them for feedback on our organization. I wanted to include their feedback in our annual report – I felt this was the best way to assess the impact of our activities so far…. Though we have felt that all our actions have been aligned to our vision of economic independence for persons with disabilities, nothing could have prepared us for the response – The response has overwhelmed us! Since we cannot publish the entire feedback of each person in the annual report, I am posting the feedback on our blog…. – Shanti Raghavan, Founder & Managing Trustee, Enable India | Ashoka Fellow 

FEEDBACK FROM PAUL ACKERMAN, INTERNATIONAL DISABILITY CONSULTANT

Most international professionals in rehabilitation have an ideal, a vision of how an organization should work optimally to help clients learn and be placed in new jobs–a vision that includes not only training, but discipline, sensitivity to the employers needs, a concept of the psychology and the physical reality of the working environment, and an approach that treats employers and clients with dignity, humor and compassion. Most of us know of organizations that approach some or most of these characteristics.

But my U.S. colleagues and I unanimously agree that Enable India is one of the very few organizations we have gotten to know that offers the most efficient blend of all of these characteristics. We have seen it in action, and we have heard your most articulate presentations and international conferences. You know the employee/employer relationship. You know the biases on both sides. You are able to transmit new values to all parties. You have analysed what needs to be taught and how to individualize the teaching to the students. You know where the jobs are–and where they can be. Enable India is, to us, world class. That means, you have much to teach us in other countries. You will always have the cooperation of international professionals.– Paul Ackerman.