New Delhi, Nov 2 Despite growing awareness and policy provisions, employability of persons with disabilities remains a major challenge in India, with experts and disability rights activists flagging gaps in education, skill development, workplace accessibility and implementation of government schemes.
They said several corporates have made progress in hiring persons with disabilities, but the government, in mission mode, needs to create an ecosystem that prepares them for employment and ensures their career progression.
Arman Ali, disability rights expert and Executive Director of the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), said changing terminology from ‘disabled’ to ‘Divyang’ or ‘specially abled’ has not significantly altered the ground situation, and employment requires focused investment in removing barriers.
“Disability is not the qualification. You are hired for your qualification and your skill,” said Ali, who has been using a wheelchair since an early age. He emphasised the need to invest in education, skilling, higher education and entrepreneurship development.
He said there was a lack of awareness about disability among corporates and the wider employment market, adding that accessibility of transport, workplaces and digital systems remained a major concern.
Ali said the low representation of persons with disabilities in Central Public Sector Enterprises (CPSEs) was also linked to the absence of an adequate pool of qualified candidates.
As per the latest available data, CPSEs employed 12,105 Divyangjan employees as on March 31, 2025, just about 1.55 per cent of their workforce. Of these, only 4,655 were in managerial or executive roles, 2,416 were supervisors and 5,034 were workers.
“Until barriers are removed, people will not be able to go from schools to colleges and acquire qualifications such as MBA, engineering or medical degrees,” Ali said, calling for a “mission-mode approach” to improve their employability.
He also pointed to gaps in the implementation of provisions under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (RPWD) Act, including the appointment of grievance redressal officers, maintenance of employment-related data and provision of reasonable accommodation.
Jitender Aggarwal, founder and CEO of Sarthak Educational Trust, said the government has not undertaken any tangible initiative specifically aimed at improving employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Aggarwal, a dental surgeon who lost his eyesight over two decades ago, said the government has a four per cent reservation provision in jobs, but vacancies often remain unfilled because of the shortage of adequately trained candidates and lack of a strong skilling ecosystem.
Highlighting the role of the private sector, he said Sarthak began working with corporates in 2008 to sensitise them about the capabilities of persons with disabilities and create employment opportunities.
“We sensitised companies from the top to the bottom that persons with disabilities are equally capable of working, but they may need certain solutions such as wheelchairs, ramps or screen readers,” he said.
He said the challenge had gradually shifted from creating demand among employers to developing an adequate supply of skilled candidates.
“There is a good demand in the market. Now the gap is in the supply chain,” he said, calling for more skill development centres across different geographical regions.
Aggarwal also urged the government to make existing incentives more accessible to companies. Under a government scheme, employers can receive 50 per cent reimbursement of the employer’s contribution towards the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) for three years for eligible employees with disabilities, he said.
“The policy is there, but accessing the incentive is difficult. The process should be transparent and simplified so that companies can actually benefit from it,” he said.
He added that the government should also encourage companies that are making efforts to employ persons with disabilities.
Mallikarjuna Iytha, founder and CEO of the Inclusive Divyangjan Entrepreneur Association (IDEA), said the change in terminology from disabled persons to ‘divyangjan’ helped bring greater recognition to the disability sector, although its impact on employment remained limited.
Iytha said public sector enterprises were relatively better placed because of mandatory provisions, while private companies largely restricted hiring to entry-level positions.
“Until eligible persons with disabilities are given opportunities at mid-level and higher positions, we will not see any major change,” said Iytha, who needs crutches to move around.
He identified retention, accessibility and the lack of understanding of reasonable accommodation as major challenges for employees with disabilities.
“The biggest challenge is the tussle between where the person with disability lives and where the company is located. Accessibility during the daily commute becomes a major issue,” he said.
Iytha said many employers were still not equipped to understand the requirements of different disability categories, despite the provision of reasonable accommodation under the law.
He also called for a shift in how companies view disability inclusion, saying it should be treated as an investment rather than an expense or a corporate social responsibility activity.
“Disability has to be moved from the expense statement to the investment category, both for corporates and the government,” he said.
He said investment in accessibility should begin much before recruitment, including at colleges, libraries, skill development centres and other institutions that prepare persons with disabilities for employment.
Iytha also flagged the lack of accessible digital platforms and training infrastructure, saying a uniform approach to skill development did not address the distinct requirements of different disability categories.
On career progression, he said the absence of persons with disabilities in senior positions was partly because many had failed to move beyond entry-level jobs over the years.
He further highlighted the additional barriers faced by women with disabilities, including workplace discrimination, gender stereotypes and difficulties in returning to employment after marriage or career breaks.
Iytha said employers needed to recognise the abilities of persons with disabilities and plan their recruitment and workplace requirements accordingly.
“The minute we start seeing abilities and believing in their abilities, the rest is only a matter of investment, and the returns would be pretty high,” he said.
(PTI News)
