450 people with disabilities to showcase talent in Mumbai’s first Regional Abilympics

The 19th edition of India's Regional Abilympics will be held on June 14-15 at the World Trade Centre in the city. The event hosted by the National Abilympics Association of India (NAAI), under the aegis of Sarthak Educational Trust with the support of The HansFoundation, will witness participation of about 450 people with disabilities (PwDs). One of the major attractions of the event will be the job fairs wherein over 25 companies from each region will conduct their hiring drive for PwDs across the country.

"In 2008, I started Sarthak, after realising that no corporate company in our country, was ready to hire PwDs. As a professional, I wanted to create something that will empower these people, to provide them with the employment that they deserve," explains Dr Jitendra Agrawal, Founder and CEO, Sarthak Educational Trust who lost his vision in his early 30s because of macular degeneration.

The Mumbai Abilympics is spread across four zones and 10 vocational segments, including Information and Communication Technology (ICT), crafts, architecture designing through CAD, cooking and vocational services. The winners in each segment will represent their zones at the National Abilympics and will stand a chance to represent India in the International Abilympics 2020 slated to take place in China.

Over the years, thousands of PwDs have been placed through these job fairs. Some of the employers at the event will share their experience of employing PwDs and will underscore how much they have gained of their 'Specially abled employees'.