Around 5,000 diffabled persons, 200 Cos participate in job fair

While 800 persons with disabilities got placed in various companies at a similar fair last year, organisers said that this year edition saw each company selecting more persons than they did last year. 

“This is the fourth fair we are organising. While this requires year-long planning, the fair can be held only once a year,” said Daniel Jacob, member of ‘We Are Yours’, the organisation behind the event.   

He said that companies required to be educated on the kind of job that could be offered. “PWDs cannot do all kinds of jobs and companies need to be made aware of the same. Besides that, many offices continue to be far from being disabled friendly and we had to also educate them on the same,” he said, adding that the fair is an attempt to create an inclusive society. 

Major companies like TCS, Accenture, Royal Enfield came forward to lookout for persons who could fit their requirements. “Such a fair tends to make us feel more independent. Even if we do not get placed, the exposure prepares us for further interviews,” said 35-year-old Chitra Selvaraj, a PWD who attended the fair. Having attended interviews for five companies, including HCL and Apollo Hospital, she said, “I felt nervous at first but soon grew confident. The interviewers were very understanding,” she added. 

Manoj Krishnaswamy, a 24-year-old intellectually challenged man who attended the fair said, “I never thought that I would be able to attend an interview of a big company. This fair has made me feel confident in myself.”