Inclusivity

at the Workplace: Five Principles to Enable and Empower A NASSCOM Foundation Publication Our world is changing, and information and communication technology (ICT) is central to this change. ICT has the potential to bring huge advances both economically and socially, and all of us should be able to participate and enjoy these benefits. However, digital inclusion is not something that will happen on its own. Although ICT use is gradually increasing, the divide between people engaged in the digital revolution and those who are not is unfortunately not significantly diminishing. This gap is especially true for people with disability (PWD) and has placed further obstacles in their path to joining mainstream society. Recognising the importance of PWD inclusion, NASSCOM and NASSCOM Foundation initiated the Accessibility Initiative earlier this year for the IT-BPO industry. The initiative aims to create an industry platform to empower persons with disabilities using the collective strength of NASSCOM member companies. The initial focus of the initiative will be on Accessibility (both physical and ICT), Employability and Assistive Technologies. Towards this end, NASSCOM Foundation, along with support from member companies, has put together this handbook Inclusivity at the Workplace: Five Principles to Enable and Empower. It lists key inclusivity principles for the workplace that companies must adopt to enable employees with disabilities to enjoy and optimise their professional life. Meant to be a ready-reckoner, this handbook provides insights on some best practices followed by Indias IT-BPO firms to achieve their inclusivity goals. Using this compendium, companies can assess their diversity policies and look at ways in which they can set up a robust and flourishing culture of inclusivity on their turf. Corporates can undertake mainstreaming and set benchmarks for themselves, by proactively following these policies and principles. The phrase diversity is just a statistic while inclusivity is an attitude best addresses the spirit of this handbook. It is also the approach that companies must adopt if they are to foster a workplace where PWDs can work alongside their peers, productively and efficiently. About NASSCOM Foundation NF is the social development arm of NASSCOM and aims to channelize the potential of the IT-BPO industry towards inclusive development of India. NF builds capacities of poor and deprived communities, works with non-profits to help build their ICT competencies, and IT companies to help them grow their corporate social responsibility programs. For more information on NF, please visit www.nasscomfoundation.org or write to info@nasscomfoundation.org