GUJARAT: The Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India (EDII), in association with the Directorate of Social Defence and Gujarat State Handicapped (Divyang) Finance and Development Corporation, Social Justice and Empowerment Department, Govt. of Gujarat has set up the Centre for Empowerment of Differently Abled (CEDA). Today, EDII observed the International Day of Persons with Disabilities by felicitating successful Divyang entrepreneurs and inviting noted professionals to talk about the need to have an inclusive society with opportunities for all.

Chief Guest, Shri Rajesh Aggarwal, IAS, Secretary, Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Social Justice & Empowerment, Government of India graced the event virtually. Also present on the occasion were: Shri Jayant Kishor, IAS, Under Secretary, Social Justice & Empowerment Dept., Govt. of Gujarat; Shri Yuvraj Seddharth, Under Secretary, Dept. of Panchayat, Govt. Of Gujarat; Shri Nisheeth Mehta, Founder & CEO, Microsign Products (recruits only differently abled); Shri Kalpesh Vaniya, Dy. Director, Directorate of Social Justice, Govt. of Gujarat and Shri J S Saini, Professor, National Institute of Technical Teachers Training and Research, Chandigarh.

On the occasion, Shri Rajesh Aggarwal said, “The society has to bring in empathy in its approach towards the differently abled. The focus should be on empowerment through training, skill-building, and counseling. New opportunities need to be created for them and they need to be assimilated into the mainstream. The government is working in this area with the support of institutions like EDII.”

Shri Kishor emphasized how disability should not make a person lose the willingness and the confidence to achieve their goal. He said, “One must defeat the odds and keep moving ahead with grit and persistence. There are several newer initiatives of the Department towards social inclusion of the differently abled and I am sure these will cumulatively bring about a huge change five years down the line.”

Shri Yuvraj Seddharth appreciated EDII’s initiative in making the differently abled self-reliant. He talked about the schemes and policies that should reach them and the need to sensitize the differently abled to comprehend the finer aspects of these measures instituted for them.

Dr. Sunil Shukla, Director General, EDII, said, “The differently-abled have unique competencies. These need to be identified and nurtured holistically. EDII’s Centre for Empowerment for Differently Abled has reached out to 8,000 potential entrepreneurs through sensitization and training programs, and 683 enterprises have been set up until March 2022 by differently-abled entrepreneurs. We look forward to developing many more enterprises owned by the differently abled and making it an inclusive society.”

Addressing the gathering, Shri Nisheeth Mehta, an entrepreneur who employs only the differently abled opined, “There is a need to remove attitudinal barriers and provide rehabilitation for the differently abled and this will come about when the differently abled and the abled differently are put on the same platform. This way, those who can recruit them or give them a better life will be able to identify their strengths better.”

On this occasion, noted Divyang Entrepreneurs were awarded for rising above their limitations. The awardees included CA. Vipin Jain (Manoj Vipin & Co.); Mr. Ketankumar R. Patel (Shree Weltex Industries); Mr. Amitkumar M Patel (NexusLink Services India Pvt. Ltd); Mr. Hemendra N Jansari (Y.H.R. Multiple Supply & Services) and Ms. Nisha Salet (Satva Packaging). Each was presented with a citation and a cash award.

The one-day event also saw several panel discussions on removing the hurdles faced by the differently abled and making the world a better one for them.

As a part of International Day of Persons with Disabilities, sports competitions for the disabled including carrom, chess, badminton, and table tennis & painting competition (for deaf & mute children) were organized on Friday and the winners were awarded on Saturday in this event.

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INDIA: Taking forward the brand’s commitment to nurturing a community marked by Diversity, Equity & Inclusion, KFC India launched its most inclusive Special KFC restaurant in Amanora Mall, Pune, ahead of International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Operated by specially-abled team members, elements at this Special KFC restaurant include infrastructural design, accessibility & décor features to enhance customer experience & provide an inclusive environment.

The restaurant is an embodiment of the brand’s efforts with Kshamata – a program to bridge the gender & ability imbalance gap. With KFC Kshamata, the brand has pledged to drive 2X empowerment by 2024, by doubling the number of Special KFCs, and restaurants run by specially-abled team members and increasing the women workforce at the restaurants.

The restaurant has been designed keeping accessibility at the core and majority of the décor features are in braille and sign language. All the signage outside & within the restaurant is accompanied by iterations in Indian Sign Language. This begins with the brand’s signature at the entrance where the iconic KFC is spelled in sign language, as well as all areas within the restaurant including the ordering & pick-up section and digital kiosks. The restaurant also features a signature wall highlighting alphabets from A to Z in braille and Indian Sign Language, to encourage patrons visiting the restaurant to learn and #SpeakSign. The seating arrangement within the restaurant has been created to accommodate wheelchairs at dine-in tables.

KFC India has been a pioneer in enabling the Speech & Hearing Impaired by extending employment & growth opportunities to them since 2008, employing & supporting more than 150 Speech & Hearing-Impaired team members across 19 cities. Recently, the brand announced a milestone in its journey with Kshamata, with the appointment of the first specially-abled Restaurant General Manager in Hyderabad – Srikanth Jarugu.

On International Day of Sign Languages, 23rd September, KFC launched the #SpeakSign campaign and Kshamata film – directed by filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, which aims at sensitizing & building awareness of sign language. Earlier this year, the brand also introduced braille menus across its 600+ restaurants in the country.

Taking the pledge beyond their restaurants, KFC partnered with the Indian Deaf Cricket Association (IDCA) as ‘Principal Sponsor’ to build visibility and growth for the sport of cricket for the hearing impaired in the country.

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