Strategy And Planning

The next step in disability inclusion is creating career pathways

October 4, 2026
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Industry leaders opined that disability inclusion is most effective when hiring, retention, and career progression are viewed as one connected responsibility /><a id=” captionrendered=”1″ data-src=”https://etimg.etb2bimg.com/photo/134677075.cms” height=”442″ href=”http://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/tag/disability+inclusion” keywordseo=”disability-inclusion” loading=”eager” source=”keywords” src=”https://hr.economictimes.indiatimes.com/images/default.jpg” type=”Denny” weightage=”20″ width=”590″></img>Disability inclusion is entering a new phase as companies look beyond meeting diversity targets. Rather than treating disability inclusion solely as a social initiative, corporates are looking at it through the lens of business sustainability.</p> <p>A 2018 report from Accenture on ‘The Disability Inclusion Imperative’ highlighted that companies that have led on key disability inclusion criteria over time saw 1.6 times more revenue, 2.6 times more net income, and 2 times more economic profit than other companies in the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) analysis. </p> <p>But the business impact of inclusion cannot be captured through hiring numbers alone. While hiring metrics indicate whether companies are bringing more people with disabilities into the workforce, they do not necessarily show whether those employees are able to thrive at the firm for a longer period. </p> <p>This raises broader questions about what happens after hiring and how companies can leverage disability inclusion beyond representation to enable meaningful careers for people with disabilities within organisations to bring out the best in them.</p> <p><b>Creating a thriving PwD workforce</b></p> <p>Industry leaders opined that disability inclusion is most effective when hiring, retention, and career progression are viewed as one connected responsibility.</p> <p>Priya Mathilakath Pillai, Chief People Officer, Titan Company, pointed out that sustainable inclusion is reflected when employees with disabilities have equitable opportunities to learn and influence business outcomes, grow into larger roles, and realise their potential over the course of their careers.</p> <p>Titan currently has 127 employees with disabilities across the organisation, including 10 employees in Key Management roles. “We have an AI expert who is significantly contributing to advanced technology initiatives. Another employee is one of the design leaders in Titan’s watches team, shaping products and experiences that reach millions of customers,” Priya shared.</p> <p>Third Wave Coffee has five cafes in India that are completely operated and run by employees with speech and hearing impairments. The company has trained SHI (speech and hearing impaired) partners across all stations, and multiple partners have progressed in their careers, moving from station proficiency and all-stations certification to buddy trainer and eventually SHI Manager. </p> <p>“The result is a multiplier effect. SHI buddy trainers can support and train new SHI partners themselves, building a more sustainable and inclusive learning ecosystem,” said Rajat Luthra, CEO, Third Wave Coffee.</p> <p>The firm also tracks key indicators like employee retention, consumer pulse index (CPI), audit scores, sales, process adherence, and customer feedback, which offer insights into how well teams are supported and integrated into daily operations.</p> <p>Tamara Leisure Experience has about 16 employees from the people with disabilities (PwD) segment, representing approximately 1.6 percent of the workforce. “Our focus is on building a stronger PwD pipeline across suitable functions, including stewarding, housekeeping and laundry, food and beverage service, non-hazardous kitchen preparation, administration, and back-office functions, subject to role-specific assessment,” said Dhinakaran K, AVP and Head of HR, Tamara Leisure Experiences.</p> <p>Capgemini has year-round awareness and sensitisation initiatives for employees, managers, leadership teams, and support functions. Disability inclusion remains a visible and ongoing conversation through the celebration of key disability observance days, culminating in the annual International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) campaign. </p> <p>The firm has actively involved employees with disabilities in shaping the inclusion agenda through the Employee Resource Groups (ERGs). The company has also introduced reverse mentoring initiatives, enabling senior leaders to learn directly from people with disabilities and gain deeper insights into accessibility and inclusion challenges and opportunities.</p> <p>Capgemini looks at a range of indicators like the presence of employees with disabilities across different roles and career levels, participation in learning and development programs, internal mobility, leadership opportunities, and engagement within the inclusion ecosystem</p> <p>Sharing an anecdote, Aarti Srivastava, CHRO India, Capgemini, said, “Our current ‘Director of Group IT,’ Amit Kotibhaskar, has been working with Capgemini for 19 years. Living with progressive visual impairment, Amit has successfully led several strategic business transformations, including leading the ‘Data & Integration’ stream for the Global Talent Deployment (GTD) Transformation Program. Amit has actively contributed to workplace accessibility discussions, providing valuable recommendations to enhance physical and digital accessibility across the firm.”</p> <p>“Amit has also supported and mentored employees with disabilities by training them on screen readers, assistive technologies, and accessibility tools for the effective use of computers, mobile devices, and workplace navigation. He has offered guidance and career support to colleagues who acquired disabilities due to health conditions, helping them adapt and continue their professional growth,” she shared.</p> <p>Most of BankBazaar’s PwD workforce is part of customer service teams. Sriram V, CHRO, BankBazaar, said, “We had a beloved colleague who stayed with the firm for over twelve years while battling a severe heart ailment. Understanding his condition, we gave him the option to work remotely. On difficult days when his health didn’t permit him to work full hours, his teammates would naturally and silently cover his pending tasks. He was simply one of us, and that quiet, collective warmth helped him thrive and eventually retire as the second-in-command to his HOD.” </p> <p>“This same culture of organic peer support and trust is reflected across our customer service teams, where each such employee is assigned a mentor for guidance. Once on board, we treat them just like anyone else on their career path without putting them in an uncomfortable spotlight,” Sriram added.</p> <p><b>Infrastructure support </b></p> <p>Creating an environment where every employee can thrive sets the foundation for inclusion. A major part of this is ensuring adequate infrastructure support, from accessible physical spaces to digital tools and workplace technologies that support employees with disabilities in performing their roles effectively. </p> <p>Third Wave Coffee has SHI-enabled store environments equipped with tools and modifications, such as dual screens for order taking, ensuring employees can perform their roles comfortably. </p> <p>Titan has ensured essential accessibility measures such as ramps, handrails, elevators, and other infrastructural enhancements across the factories and offices. “We also engage with specialist partners and continue to work closely with our Admin, Safety, IT, and Retail Development teams to create assistive technologies, Indian Sign Language (ISL) support, and workplace accommodations,” Priya said.</p> <p>Tamara Leisure Experience’s policy provides for functional and risk assessments, role-specific training, accessible communication, adapted equipment, and reasonable workplace adjustments. These include written or visual instructions, captioned training, ergonomic tools, modified schedules, accessible layouts, lifting aids, adapted protective equipment, and emergency buddy systems. </p> <p>Still, infrastructure enhancements could only be an enabler; disability inclusion takes the next phase only if it is embedded into the way work is designed, careers are developed around it, and progress is tracked.</p> <p>This way, accessibility becomes part of everyday workplace decisions rather than a separate initiative, and inclusion can become a sustained element of the employee experience beyond just numbers. </p> <div> <div aria-label=

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