ILO Global Business and Disability NetworkBangalore Meeting17 February 2011

Summary Notes and Presentations

1. Background information and programme

Wipro hosted the third inaugural planning meeting of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network in Bangalore on 17 February 2011. The meeting consisted of a full day with a morning agenda including welcoming remarks by the host and two ILO officials and presentations from seven multinational companies and three employers’ network. The afternoon agenda included presentations from three disability resource groups; remarks on survey outcomes and findings of the Paris and New York meetings; five separate roundtable discussions related to the Network’s organizational structure and procedures, funding, communication methods, future activities, and engagement with employers’ networks on disability; reports on the roundtable findings; future steps of the Network; and closing comments.

Along with the meeting, the ILO arranged two optional half-day side events. On 16 February, Yahoo! hosted a visit to its facility where participants learned about Web accessibility and the company’s disability-related workplace accommodations. On 18 February, MphasiS and the Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B) jointly hosted a visit to the IIM-B’s Office of Disability Services (ODS) to introduce the establishment of the ODS and the services it offers to students with disabilities.

For the agenda, please see Annex 1.

2. Handouts and materials

Prior to the meeting, the organizers sent out the following handouts to the participants: official invitation letter, agenda for meeting and site visits, information on venue and possible accommodations, participant list, registration form, and a brief discussion note about the Network.

At the meeting, the ILO distributed the following materials: Disability in the Workplace: Company Practices (ILO, 2010), The ILO at a glance (ILO, 2008), Managing disability in the workplace (ILO, 2002), Public-private-partnership for decent work (ILO, 2009), and ILO Vocational Rehabilitation and Employment (Disabled Persons) Convention, 1983, (No. 159) and Recommendation (No. 168), 1983.

For meeting handouts, please see Annex 2.

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3. Participants

Fifty-six participants – 31 from 19 multinational companies, 12 from nine employers’ networks, six from three disability resource groups, and seven from the ILO – attended the meeting.

For a complete list of participants, please see Annex 3.

4. Welcome and introductions

Chair: Mr Isaac George V, General Manager of Talent Management & Engagement, Wipro

Mr George welcomed everyone to the third inaugural planning meeting of the Network. As with the previous two meetings held in Paris and New York in November 2010, the goals of the meetings were (1) to learn about the disability-related policies, practices and initiatives of companies, employers’ networks and disability resource groups and (2) to discuss the directions and next-steps of organizing the Network.

Mr George concluded by introducing the opening speakers.

4.1 Opening speeches

Ms Deborah France-Massin, Deputy Director, Bureau for Employers’ Activities, ILO

Ms France-Massin delivered words of welcome on behalf of the ILO and provided an overview of the ILO’s history and tripartite structure. She explained that the Bureau for Employers’ Activities aimed to bring the ILO closer to businesses and businesses closer to the ILO by engaging in a direct relationship around issues of common concern.

The Network’s inaugural planning meetings worked as an avenue to tap into the knowledge of businesses, particularly in the world of work. Through the outcomes of the Network’s meetings, the ILO would be able to strengthen its own knowledge base and businesses/organizations would be able to add an additional dimension to their work as well. She concluded by stating that the purpose of the inaugural planning meetings was to discuss how to develop the Network so that it meets the needs of businesses, employers’ networks, and disability resource groups.

Ms Debra Perry, Senior Specialist in Disability Inclusion, Skills and Employability Department, ILO

Ms Perry welcomed all participants to the meeting and thanked Wipro for hosting the event. She provided an outline the ILO’s work in the disability context. The ILO’s involvement in disability started off by advocating for the vocational rehabilitation of disabled soldiers after WWI. In 1955, the ILO adopted a recommendation related to vocational rehabilitation which called for the use of regular services for people with disabilities; in 1985, the ILO adopted a Convention and another recommendation; and in 2001, the ILO developed the ILO Code of Practice for Managing Disability in the Workplace. While the recommendations and Convention are primarily directed to governments, the Code provides guidance to employers. She also

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referenced the adoption of the UN Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in 2006 which had triggered many countries to change their employment laws, which would directly affect the operations of businesses and employers.

Based on her experience in working with companies, she introduced five reasons employers hire disabled persons: (1) They have to – there is a legal or policy basis within the country or company, such as a quota system or non-discrimination laws (2) They were asked to – by a specialized job placement agency or the application of a disabled person, (3) They should – because of codes of practices, framework agreements or corporate social responsibility (CSR), (4) The business case – many companies hire disabled persons because they understand the power of diversity and that people with disabilities, if properly trained and matched to a job based on their abilities, make reliable employees, and (5) Peer influence – some employers have been influenced by other businesses. Many companies often hire for the first three reasons but then experience the business case. Through the Network, it is hoped to use peer influence to further employment opportunities for people with disabilities.

Ms Perry explained that a perfect storm of events had occurred to establish the Network. Dow-Europe and several other companies had approached the ILO requesting assistance on issues related to disability inclusion. After some initial discussions, the ILO offered to form a network of companies, employers’ networks, and resource groups to address disability issues. Along with the interest from companies and employers to get a Network started, the ILO had a new public-private partnership policy in place and the UNCRPD had created a renewed attention to disability issues internationally.

By the end of the day, Ms Perry hoped that participants would: (1) Get to know each other and begin to share information, (2) Learn about the disability initiatives of the ILO, businesses, employers’ network and disability resource groups, (3) Provide specific input and ideas into the organization, funding and membership of the Network, and (4) Identify the next steps for moving forward.

4.2 Brief introduction from participants

All participants briefly introduced themselves by offering their name and the company/organization they represented.

5. Company presentations

Part 1, Chair: Ms Deborah France-Massin, Deputy Director, Bureau for Employers’ Activities, ILO

5.1 Carrefour

Mr Fauzi Hassan, Human Resources Director, Carrefour Malaysia

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Attached is a modified version of Mr Hassan’s presentation. The pictures embedded in the slides have been deleted to reduce the size of the presentation. The original version can be sent upon request. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

Mr Hassan announced that Carrefour opened its first store in India in 2011. He then introduced Carrefour’s CSR policies and discussed the company’s efforts to hire people with disabilities. While highlighting the number of disabled employees working in the company’s regions of operations, he stressed the significance of not only hiring but also retaining employees with disabilities.

In Carrefour Malaysia, the company has set specific targets for 2011 and 2012 to hire people with disabilities. The “Open Employment Model”, established to support people with disabilities from the initial stages of job search and job matching to the last stages of training and integration, highlights the company’s effort to retain disabled persons. Carrefour also raises awareness about people with disabilities through media channels, employee activities, and events.

To conclude, Mr Hassan shared a video clip of the disability work carried out by Carrefour Malaysia.

5.2 MphasiS

Ms Meenu Bhambani, Global Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, MphasiS, India

Attached is Ms Bhambani’s presentation in its entirety. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

Ms Bhambani explained debates exist about separating diversity issues from CSR. However, she underscored that CSR has been used as a strategy to increase the number of employees with disabilities within businesses and that it helps bring in talented persons into the system at MphasiS.

Ms Bhambani outlined MphasiS’ business profile and introduced the company’s CSR strategy across three areas: employability, education and entrepreneurship. She further shared the number of people with disabilities working at MphasiS and described the positions held by them. She stressed that employees with disabilities are not restricted in the positions they can

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hold, i.e. they work across all functions and levels depending on their skills, and noted that the company collaborates with various partners – educational institutions, disabled persons’ organizations, and non-governmental organizations – to promote the inclusion of people with disabilities within the society.

5.3 Marks and Spencer

Ms Jyotsna Belliappa, Ethical Compliance Officer, Marks and Spencer, India

Attached is Ms Belliappa’s presentation in its entirety. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

Ms Belliappa provided an overview of Marks and Spencer mission of “becoming the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015” through the company’s programme called Pan A. Plan A divides the company’s sustainable efforts across five pillars: climate change, waste, fair trade, sourcing, and health. “Marks and Starts”, the company’s work experience programme implemented throughout its supply chain for homeless, people with disabilities, lone parents and young people, is an initiative under fair trade.

Marks and Starts in South Asia is especially focused on working with people with disabilities and offers a tailored curriculum based on ability. Placements address disability issues when needed. For example, to alleviate any communication barriers among the Deaf workers, a group of approximately 10 hearing impaired workers sit together to facilitate communication. Marks and Starts accommodates people with all types of disabilities and a buddy system has been critical to the success of the programme.

The following questions and discussion points followed the presentations.

A question was raised about how the companies manage to retain people with disabilities.

Mr Hassan replied that Carrefour provides accommodation and transportation for people with disabilities coming from remote areas. In addition, the company offers emotional support services for disabled workers.

Ms Belliappa at Marks and Spencer commented that the buddy system/mentoring system has been critical to increasing the retention rate of disabled workers. She also noted that since there are less job opportunities for people with disabilities, once hired, they tend to stay on the job for a longer period than non-disabled people.

Part 2, Chair: Mr Henrik Moller, Senior Advisor, Bureau for Employers’ Activities, ILO

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5.4 Tata Consultancy Services (TCS)

Ms Nina Screwvalla, Global Head TCS Maitree, Tata Consultancy Services, India

Attached is Ms Screwvalla’s presentation. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

After introducing TCS Maitree, Ms Screwvalla gave a detailed presentation about the Advanced Computer Training Centre for Visually Impaired, a centre launched by TCS to provide employment opportunities for visually-impaired people. The Centre offers a 40-day training programme to a selected number of students in the areas of IT, business process outsourcing, and soft skills. To date, of the 77 students that have received training, 43 have been employed.

To conclude, Ms Screwvalla called for companies to provide more employment opportunities for people with disabilities and to create a more inclusive corporate culture. She underscored that in certain situations, people with disabilities can be more able than non-disabled people.

5.5 Wipro

Mr Isaac George V, General Manager of Talent Management & Engagement, Wipro, India

Attached is a modified version of Mr George’s presentation. The pictures embedded in the slides have been deleted to reduce the size of the presentation. The original version can be sent upon request. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

Mr George provided an outline on Wipro’s journey towards inclusivity. Two years ago, the company did not have a sustainable policy towards hiring or retaining disabled people. However, in the past two years, Wipro built a framework and actively sought qualified people with disabilities. In the next two years, Wipro aims to ingrain inclusivity within the corporate culture.

He further summarized Wipro’s “Framework for inclusivity”, which focuses on the following five areas: accessible infrastructure, people policies, information systems, talent transformation, and talent acquisition, and explained each in detail.

5.6 Telenor (via tele-conference)

Ms Palwasha Sherin Khan, Corporate Responsibility Executive, Telenor Pakistan 6

Attached is a modified version of Ms Khan’s presentation. The pictures embedded in the slides have been deleted to reduce the size of the presentation. The original version can be sent upon request. Most of the presentation slides consisted of a main heading and multiple pictures without any subtext. To supplement the presentation, a detailed description of Ms Khan’s presentation is provided below.

Telenor Pakistan first started its disability journey through “Khuddar Pakistan”, the company’s corporate responsibility initiative for people with disabilities launched in 2009. Realizing that people with disabilities were often overlooked in society, Telenor decided to first learn about disability issues by working with disabled person’s organizations.

Telenor Pakistan hired two interns, one with a visual impairment and the other with a hearing impairment, as its first employees with disabilities. While the interns gained work experience by rotating through various departments, the company’s non-disabled employees became exposed to people with disabilities in a natural way. This led to various measures to sensitize non-disabled employees, including management, on disability issues through disability awareness training.

To change the public mindset and raise awareness on people with disabilities, Telenor Pakistan ran 52 radio programmes from August 2009 to August 2010 on the Khuddar Pakistan Radio Talk Show. These programmes covered a broad range of topics, including basic rights of people with disabilities, the challenges they face in society, misconceptions and examples of role models.

Ms Khan also discussed the company’s internal efforts to create an inclusive environment. For example, the Human Resources Department specifically inserted “qualified individuals with disabilities are welcome to apply” on job vacancy announcements. To improve the accessibility of its existing buildings, the company conducted accessibility audits of its sales and service centres. She also underscored that all new buildings would meet accessibility standards.

Externally, Telenor Pakistan sponsored assistive technology training labs for people with disabilities at the National Institute of Special Education (NISE) and the Special Talent Exchange Program (STEP). In addition, the company sponsored a number of different disability-related events, such as the Leadership Conference for Persons with Disabilities, Khuddar Pakistan Blind Cricket Talent Hunt and the Wheelchair Cricket Tournament. Telenor Pakistan also helped connect national disabled person’s organizations by offering video conference and IT assistance. Lastly, employees have been encouraged to reach out to the disability community as volunteers.

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To conclude, Ms Khan commented that company’s marketing efforts were also evolving to become disability inclusive. For example, Telenor Pakistan was the first company in the Pakistan’s telecommunication industry to feature a disabled person in its public commercials.

Due to time limitation, Ms Khan was not able to show a five minute video clip on Telenor Open Mind, a job training programme for people with disabilities run by Telenor Norway. The video is available on ILO TV at http://www.youtube.com/ilotv.

5.7 Nokia and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII)

Ms Nisha Nina, Head of Talent Acquisition, Nokia

Ms Nina started the presentation by explaining Nokia’s efforts to include accessibility features, such as text-to-speech conversion, in its devices and services to promote universal access to mobile communications for customers with disabilities. To facilitate the employment of disabled persons, Nokia partners with organizations, such as the CII and Enable India. Nokia finds it particularly useful to establish such partnerships because it does not have the in-house capacity to reach out to people with disabilities. To further explain how the partnerships work, Ms Nina introduced Mr Sebi Chacko, Convenor of the CII Disability Forum, who spoke about the services offered by the CII.

Mr Sebi Chacko, Convenor of the CII Disability Forum, India

Attached is Mr Chacko’s presentation. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

Mr Chacko provided an overview of the CII, noting that it is an employers’ network but more importantly an organization that brings the government, non-governmental organizations and specialists together to discuss issues related to awareness, inclusion, and accessibility. He introduced the CII Disability Forum, a platform created to discuss disability among member and non-member companies, and noted that the Forum partners with educational institutions, such as the Indian Institute of Management, to establish tailored services for students with disabilities. The CII also published a disability manual, “A Value Route to Business Success – The Why and How of Employing Persons with Disability”, which contains information and advice for companies seeking to employ people with disabilities. The manual is available upon request.

The following questions and discussion points followed the presentations.

A participant asked when the question of disability should be posed to a disabled candidate or employee. Considering that people with disabilities seek equal treatment in recruitment and at

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work, the participant noted that some however preferred to be left unidentified as a disabled person.

Mr George agreed that people with disabilities desired to be treated as non-disabled persons. However, he emphasized that benefits existing in disclosing one’s disability. For example, the company can provide reasonable accommodation, which makes a difference in one’s work performance. He further explained that Wipro distributes a confidential and voluntary self-identification form when an employee enters the organization for purposes of meeting needs and monitoring diversity progress.

A participant asked about how to enhance disability awareness in India.

A member of the panel answered that non-governmental organizations and the media are actively involved in pushing disability awareness forward. Some actions taken include IT disability conferences and bono services offered by law firms and coverage by the media. However, the need for increased advocacy work at the national level is greater than ever.

6. Employers’ organizations and networks presentations

Chair: Mr Gotayaba Dasanayaka, Senior Specialist, Employers' Activities, ILO, New Delhi

6.1 Australian Network on Disability (AND)

Ms Suzanne Colbert, Chief Executive, AND, Australia

Ms Colbert delivered her presentation without using PowerPoint slides. A detailed description of her presentation is provided below.

Ms Colbert introduced several figures in the beginning of her presentation. Among 22 million Australians, 4 million are disabled and 16.6 per cent of working-age population has some type of disability. The government assists people with disabilities to find and retain their jobs. There are 1,900 outlets that provide services to disabled persons, and the employment participation rate is 53.5 per cent.

AND was started by a group of small business owners who had successfully employed people with disabilities and envisioned creating a disability-confident Australia. Now, AND has approximately 105 members of which half are from the private sector and the other half are from the public sector. The goal of AND is to assist people with disabilities become customers and employees. Furthermore, the services provided to its members must mutually benefit businesses and people with disabilities.

AND provides consultancy services with respect to locating talent pool of disabled applicants, providing guidance on reasonable accommodation and recommending specific programmes related to disability. For example, after realizing that law students with disabilities faced challenges in making transition from education to employment, AND partnered with law firms to

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provide them with internship opportunities. Each participating firm offers paid internships during the winter break for four weeks. After the internship, many students have received on-going casual employment or opportunities to work on projects. Over the years, the programme has expanded into the banking, finance, accounting, human resources, IT, engineering and many other disciplines. In 2010, 50 out of 120 applicants to the programme received an internship placement with AND members.

AND also produces publications and runs training programmes for disabled persons as well as human resources professionals. As an employers’ organization, AND lobbies the government to create a disability-friendly environment for businesses to hire people with disabilities. For example, AND recently succeeded in lobbying the government to provide a payroll tax exemption for employers of people with disabilities. The exemption will apply to all new employees who are hired after June 2011.

More information on the AND can be found at http://www.and.org.au

6.2 Employers’ Federation of Ceylon (EFC)

Ms Meghamali Aluwihare, EFC Network on Disability, Sri Lanka

Attached is Ms Aluwihare’s presentation in its entirety. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

Ms Aluwihare provided an overview of the EFC’s structure and introduced how the Employers’ Network on Disability evolved from an initial small grant from the ILO. She further offered background information on the Network’s steering committee, partnerships, constitution, and services provided to employers.

The Network conducts job fairs and training courses for people with disabilities and also holds disability awareness raising events. The Network collaborated with Standard Chartered Bank to develop Barrier Free Access Handbook, a guide to provide the employment sector in Sri Lanka with a reference for creating a barrier free environment to integrate disabled persons into the workforce. It also holds disability awareness campaigns in newsletters and the media.

More information on the EFC can be found at www.employers.lk

6.3 Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI)

Ms Tran Thi Lan Anh, General Manager, VCCI, Vietnam

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Attached is Ms Anh’s presentation in its entirety. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

Ms Anh shared several figures related to disability in Vietnam and provided an overview of the VCCI. The VCCI raises awareness on people with disabilities among employers, creates employment programmes, and influences companies to transform their policy and internal structure to be disability-friendly.

She further mentioned the establishment of the Blue Ribbon Employer Council (BREC), which was formed in 2006 through joint efforts of the VCCI and the American Chamber of Commerce, and outlined the three purposes of the BREC and its main activities. One of its activities includes an awards event that takes place every three years to recognize the contributions toward the employment promotion of disabled persons made by employers, workers and non-governmental organizations. The next event will take place in February 2011.

The following questions and discussion points followed the presentations.

A participant asked how the AND supports companies to develop an internal disability community or a disabled employee network.

Ms Colbert answered that a survey sent out to AND members revealed people with disabilities were less satisfied than non disabled employees with their skill development and managers, and less positive about their professional development and opportunity for promotion. She noted a strong network of employees with disabilities helped reverse the negative sentiments. The AND therefore works its members to develop these networks.

7. Disability resource groups presentations

Chair, Ms Debra Perry, Senior Specialist in Disability Inclusion, ILO

7.1 Global Partnership on Disability and Development (GPDD)

Ms Indumathi Rao, Chairperson, GPDD, India

Attached is Ms Rao’s presentation in its entirety. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

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The GPDD emerged through informal discussions at the UN International Day of Disabled Persons at the World Bank in 2002. It is a global initiative to strengthen international cooperation to accelerate the integration of disability issues into mainstream social and economic development efforts. Ms Rao highlighted GPDD’s unique membership structure, consisting of governments, universities, and UN agencies that are committed to promoting inclusion of people with disabilities in the development of low-income countries.

The organization puts special focus on capacity and awareness building and knowledge sharing. During times of crisis, the GPDD also provides specialized support through its working groups. For example, after the Haiti earthquake, the GPDD organized a Working Group on Haiti Reconstruction that continues to promote the involvement of people with disabilities during all stages reconstruction and the accessibility of infrastructure. The GPDD also publishes newsletters, participates in advocacy events, and holds electronic discussion forums.

Ms Rao also introduced her full-time role as the Regional Advisor in South Asia of the Community Based Rehabilitation (CBR) Network, an international non-governmental organization networking all organizations active in the field of CBR in eight South Asian countries.

More information on the GPDD can be found at http://www.gpdd-online.org

7.2 Disabled People’s International Asia Pacific (DPIAP)

Ms Saowalak Thongkuay, Regional Development Officer, DPIA, Thailand

Attached is Ms Thongkuay’s presentation in its entirety. A brief summary of the presentation is described below.

Ms Thongkuay started off her presentation by explaining the effect of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) in Thailand and its possible impact on the tourism industry. Much of her presentation addressed the business opportunity that can result from considering accessible tourism. With an aging population, which can mean an increased incidence of disability among travelers in that age cohort, as well as the increased economic empowerment among many disabled persons, the tourism business needs to adjust and take advantage of the market presented by disabled and older disabled persons.

She noted that disabled peoples’ organizations can provide consulting services to assist hotels and others in the industry to tap this market and gave examples for her organization’s work in Thailand. She also mentioned how businesses can promote employment opportunities for people with disabilities and shared several key documents related to disability and employment.

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More information on the DPIAP can be found at http://www.dpiap.org

7.3 National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP)

Mr Javed Abidi, Executive Director, NCPEDP, India

Mr Abidi delivered his presentation without using PowerPoint slides. A detailed description of the presentation is provided below.

Mr Abidi found it heartwarming to see the various initiatives and actions taken by employers to promote disability inclusion. He praised the participants for doing much more than others, but expressed the need for stronger leadership to create a more inclusive society.

He provided an overview of the quota system in India. Established in 1995, the quota system calls for a three per cent reservation for disabled persons in government jobs and offered an incentive to private sector companies if more than five per cent of their total workforce consisted ofdisabled persons. However, a survey conducted by the NCPEDP reflected that disabled persons represent only 0.5 per cent, 0.2 per cent, and 0.05 per cent of the total work force in the public sector, private sector, and among multinational companies, respectively. He stressed that very few multinationals have crossed the one per cent mark of hiring people with disabilities.

Mr Abidi noted the absence of accessible transportation and infrastructure as the biggest challenges of hiring people with disabilities, not the lack of qualified and skilled people with disabilities. Also, some companies seek to hire people with minimal disabilities, i.e. they hire people with low vision but not with total blindness.

A proportion of the presentation focused on the significance of providing access to education for people with disabilities to increase their employability. Mr Abidi mentioned that large educational institutions are unwelcoming of students with disabilities. Often, there is an absolute lack of facilities available for them, he said. For example, books are not available in Braille for blind students who want them and buildings are not accessible for students in wheelchairs. He also stated that while increased funds have been supplied to improve the education situation in rural India, people with disabilities have been generally left out as a beneficiary.

Mr Abidi concluded his presentation by urging Network members to look deeper at the barriers faced by people with disabilities.

The following questions and discussion points followed the presentations.

A participant asked if special schools or colleges could be a solution to increasing educational opportunities for disabled persons.

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The panel replied that the availability of special schools was limited to big cities. The eventual mainstreaming students with disabilities, which is the primary goal, would become even more difficult under such a dual system. The panel underscored that special schools would ultimately separate and marginalize students with disabilities.

Another question was raised about helping family members of people with disabilities instead of the disabled person directly.

The ILO official noted that disability and poverty are often linked, meaning a family with a disabled member is more likely to be poor and helping the family may increase income for all members. However, the rights of the disabled person to participate should not be overlooked or substituted by helping a family member. It was also mentioned that family members may sometimes be discriminated by people who are over-concerned about them missing work or being less productive due to being in a family with a disabled member.

Ms Bhambani, Global Head of CSR at MphasiS, answered that MphasiS established a sabbatical programme for its employees who need to take care of aging parents or disabled children.

8. Survey Findings

Mr Henrik Moller, Senior Advisor, Bureau for Employers’ Activities, ILO

Mr Moller explained that the ILO sent out a survey in September 2010 to the Network members for the purpose of understanding their expectations of the Network. The responses from some 20 members helped ILO officials develop the meeting agenda.

Mr Moller further summarized the key findings of the survey. For example, in response to the high interest in knowledge sharing, presentation sessions were included in the programme. He also noted the Network’s knowledge sharing activities thus far, such as the publication of Disability in the Workplace: Company Practices (ILO, 2010) and ILO-TV, where corporate videos on disability issues can be viewed.

To conclude, Mr Moller noted that the Network’s Paris and New York meeting had both been similar in structure. However, the Bangalore meeting had more employers’ organizations and networks represented.

9. Roundtable discussions

Chair: Ms Debra Perry, Senior Specialist in Disability Inclusion, ILO

The ILO divided the participants into groups and arranged five parallel roundtable discussions to brainstorm the Network’s activities in the following areas: Operational procedures, funding, communication methods, projects and services, and the engagement with employers’ networks on disability. Due to the early departure of several participants, 36 people remained for the roundtable discussions. Participants voluntarily joined a group that addressed an area of their interest. However,

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the ILO encouraged representatives of employers’ organizations or networks to join the last group. The ILO distributed a two-page guideline containing four to five questions of each topic to facilitate the discussion (Annex 5). Afterwards, each group reported its findings and other participants had the opportunity to provide further comments or ask questions.

9.1 Group 1: Operational Procedures

Group 1 reviewed the draft operational procedures (Annex 5) provided by the ILO. Group 1 reported the following:

In terms of membership and conditions, governments have been excluded. Without the government’s participation, it will be challenging to move in rapid and inclusive scale. The Network should also invite national companies, including national companies without an international focus, as members.

With regard to the Network’s objectives and activities, CSR and disability should be separated out. It will be difficult to promote disability to businesses when combined with CSR. Also, the UNCRPD should be specifically mentioned in the objective as a guiding force. Additionally, the Network should address the notion of developing education, transport, town planning and healthcare for people with disabilities as part of its activities.

Considering the administrative structure, the steering committee should have two representatives from disabled person’s organizations. Additionally, as a global network, 2/3 of the members should represent the developing world and 1/3 should represent the developed world. It will also be critical to include women and people with disabilities in the steering committee.

For meetings, an annual assembly will be needed.

9.2 Group 2: Funding

Group 2 explored funding possibilities for the Network. Group 2 reported the following:

In order to search for funding opportunities, it is critical to define the Network’s membership conditions. The Network should include employers, employer organizations and networks, and non-governmental organizations as members.

To secure funding, the Network can offer a broad range of products and services to its members. Some examples include providing consultancy services, sharing resources and knowledge, offering legal advice, documenting best practices, building and developing skills and competency-based frameworks, and lobbying for policy implementation with governments.

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Funds can be sourced through member contributions, member resources or services, placement charges, consultancy charges, voluntary grants and donations, and sponsorships. The Network will require three years to fully mature and to be self-sustained.

The following questions and discussion points followed the reporting.

A participant recommended that the membership fee should be nominal in order to include small and medium sized companies and smaller organizations. The membership due could be based on the size, sales, or profit turnover of the organization. In addition, the Network could raise funds on a voluntary basis.

Another participant suggested lobbying for a disability budget from the government, explaining that companies in India allocate two per cent of their total budget to CSR.

Other discussions that emerged from the discussions were commented at the end, such as the inclusion of governments as members.

9.3 Group 3: Communication methods

Group 3 discussed methods of communications for the Network. Group 3 reported the following:

The Network’s communication can be started by publishing newsletters and e-newsletters. Social networking sites, such as Linkedin and Facebook, can provide members an opportunity to network with each other on a regular basis. The Network can also consider building private online communities through Yahoo! or Google groups. In addition to the online communication methods discussed above, it will be critical to meet on a face-to-face level as frequently as possible.

Depending on a company’s nature or capacity, members can contribute to facilitating the communication for the Network. For example, companies can host webinars, provide teleconference platforms or offer venues for global meetings.

With regard to holding meetings, the Network should organize one global meeting per year. Additionally, smaller meetings can be arranged at the grass root level. For example, the Network can establish city chapters, which could be further expanded into zonal chapters and national and regional chapters.

The following questions and discussion points followed the reporting.

A regional ILO representative noted that the ILO had an online discussion forum in the Asia Pacific where specific issues could be addressed. The forum could work as an entry point for Network members to discuss concrete issues.

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A participant suggested that the Network could designate a celebrity figure as an ambassador to promote disability inclusion.

9.4 Group 4: Future activities

Group 4 discussed the types of future projects and activities Network members could participate in. Group 4 reported the following:

It will be critical to share and leverage best practices among Network members.

The Network should expand its membership to include employers of middle and large enterprises; companies from the Middle East, Africa, and Latin America; and companies from more diverse sectors. In addition, synergies can be created by connecting like-minded companies or companies from the same industry.

To build greater awareness and visibility on disability issues, it will be critical to receive high-level support from business leaders. Holding a CEO breakfast or CEO forum are ways to effectively raise awareness on the topic.

The ILO should reach out to local industry bodies, such as the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), to have local businesses engaged in the initiative.

Finally, the Network can develop toolkits, design training methodologies for people with disabilities, and support specialized training organizations.

9.5 Group 5: Engagement with employers’ organizations and networks on disability

Group 5 discussed how employers' organizations could support the Network. Group 5 reported the following:

The Network can assist the work of employers’ organizations/networks by creating disability awareness and sharing global best practices and tools. Developing a global knowledge repository on disability-related legislation would be useful as well. Furthermore, the Network can collaborate with governments to build tax concessions for companies that hire people with disabilities.

To support the Network, employers’ organizations/networks can share data and success stories and expertise. They can also support outreach programmes and help organize seminars.

Employers’ organizations/networks serve their members on disability issues by supporting the systematic growth of employers through lobbying governments, marketing member growth via customized support, and establishing funds to provide greater support.

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To launch a successful initiative, it will be crucial to have a substantial group of committed employers and a well-defined notion of success and its parameters.

The following questions and discussion points followed the reporting.

A participant noted the possibility of establishing an accreditation system, which would provide an incentive for companies to exercise more inclusive practices and to be a member of the Network.

The ILO responded that it faces several constraints in developing an accreditation system since it already has official standards and monitoring accreditation would be difficult. The Network would have to look into alternative options to encourage inclusion.

The issue of inviting government participation into the Network was again raised by an employers’ representative and a discussion ensued.

The ILO suggested that many discussions have been held around this issue, both within the ILO and among Network members at other meetings. Considering that the Network is a global assembly with a focus on business, it was decided not to include governments and that government participation could change the dynamics of the Network. Further, the ILO national employers’ organizations work with individual and nationally-based companies as well as their respective governments and the global Network should not subsume their role at the country level.

10. Next steps

The final plenary session provided an opportunity to summarize the issues and ideas that had surfaced throughout the day. The ILO discussed with participants the following next steps to develop the Network.

A first activity would be to analyze all the inputs from participants of the three inaugural planning meetings and incorporate their ideas into the next steps.

Regarding knowledge sharing, a meeting proceeding would be developed and sent out to all participants. Additionally, a second publication similar to Disability in the Workplace: Company Practices (ILO, 2010) would be published later this year. It would address the structure and disability activities of employers’ organizations and business networks. The ILO would also continue to collect corporate videos on disability issues to upload on the ILO-TV section.

Upon completing the legal transfer of the Network's anticipated URL (www.businessanddisability.org), the ILO would proceed with developing the web site.

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With regard to structure, the ILO would put together, based on interest and other factors, the steering committee. Additionally, the operational procedures and membership agreement would be finalized.

The ILO would continue to attract new members and expand the Network into Latin America and Africa as a long-term goal.

The ILO would facilitate linkages among companies to respond to requests it received through the Network.

To sustain the Network and its activities, the ILO was in the process of developing a proposal to seek donor funding from a foundation or other sources and explore other funding methods.

Finally, a formal launch of the Network would occur later this year.

11. Closing remarks

Chair: Ms Debra Perry, Senior Specialist in Disability Inclusion, ILO In her closing comment, Ms Perry mentioned that the ILO would send out preliminary findings of

the Bangalore meeting and a final meeting proceeding in the following weeks. She also stated that an evaluation of the meeting would be sent through Survey Monkey.

Ms Perry thanked Wipro for hosting the meeting and thanked the participants for attending and contributing to the Network’s development. She also expressed thanks to Ms Deborah France-Massin, Mr Henrik Moller, and Ms Jae-Hee Chang for their support and joint effort to organize the event and the overall Network.

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ILO Global Business and Disability NetworkSite Visit: Yahoo!16 February, 2011

14:00-17:00

Summary Notes

1. Background Information and programme

The ILO organized a site visit to Yahoo! as a side event of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network’s third inaugural planning meeting in Bangalore. The half-day visit was led by Mr Srinivasu Chakravarthula, Accessibility Manager, and Mr Sandeep Datar, Director of User Experience Design, the day before the inaugural planning meeting. During the visit, participants learned about Yahoo!’s journey towards Web accessibility, workplace accommodations provided for employees with disabilities, and the World Wide Web Consortium’s Web Accessibility Initiative. Participants also had the opportunity to visit Yahoo!’s Accessibility Lab that allows the company’s engineers and designers to understand how people with disabilities use personal computers and access the Internet.

For the agenda, please see Annex 6.

2. Participants

Seventeen participants, including five ILO staff, attended the site visit.

3. Introduction to Yahoo!’s accessibility journey

Mr Sandeep Datar, Director of User Experience Design, Yahoo!

After welcoming the participants to Yahoo!, Mr Datar gave a brief introduction on the company’s journey towards Web accessibility. Yahoo! had a vision of including everyone – disabled and non-disabled – as users of its search engine. The company also realized that it made good business sense to expand its customer-base by making its web site accessible to everyone. Lastly, Yahoo! approached accessibility from a CSR perspective to reduce the digital divide between disabled and non-disabled users.

Mr Datar further mentioned that among 65 million Internet users in India, Yahoo! serves 30 to 40 million people. In terms of making the Web accessible for people with disabilities, Yahoo! looked at a segment of 10 million people.

4. Accessibility at Yahoo! and the W3C

Mr Srinivasu Chakravarthula, Accessibility Manager, Yahoo!

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Mr Chakravarthula stated that Yahoo!’s mission is to connect people to knowledge through an inclusive environment. By making the Web accessible, Yahoo! aims to cater the needs of people with disabilities as well as other populations, such as elderly persons.

He explained that it does not take special effort to make a web site accessible. If Web developers use the best coding practices, such as using proper headers and labels, and accessibility tags to enable screen reading and keyboard control, sites will be accessible to anyone from any device. He asked if any of the participants added text descriptions to a picture inserted in a Word file, and underscored that a simple description would enable blind users to appreciate the content of the picture using their screen reader to access the description.

Yahoo! established its first Accessibility Lab in 2005 in Sunnyvale, California. Following Sunnyvale’s success, the company opened its second lab in Bangalore in 2009. The Accessibility Lab is a unique place at Yahoo! where any employee can come to learn about and try various assistive technology devices or accessibility software that are commonly used by people with physical, visual, and sensory disabilities. Through lab tours and other activities, production management, developer and design teams immerse themselves into the world of disabilities, which helps those teams to better understand the importance of accessibility when developing products. The Lab also tests the accessibility of all products for Yahoo! along with its partner organizations, such as Enable India and National Association for the Blind. In addition, the Lab provides a two-hour training programme on accessibility for all new hires at Yahoo! and works with external organizations to raise public awareness around accessibility issues.

In terms of workplace solutions, Mr Chakravarthula shared some of his personal experiences as a visually-impaired employee. Upon arriving to Yahoo!, he experienced great difficulties reading menus displayed in the cafeteria and names of different conference rooms because the texts were in light coloured print. After he submitted a report to the human resources and facilities team, Yahoo! changed all labels into dark font with light coloured background. He also encountered problems when reading emails sent by his colleagues because they were image-based, which could not be picked-up by screen readers. Upon receiving Mr Chakravarthula’s report, Yahoo!’s email server was adjusted to send out emails in HTML text based format.

Mr Chakravarthula commented on his role as a member of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) India’s National Advisory Board. He noted that the W3C develops protocols and guidelines related to accessibility, internationalization, mobile web, and HTML. In December 2010, Yahoo! India and the W3C India jointly hosted a conference on Web accessibility to provide its participants with an understanding on the needs of people with disabilities using the Internet and discuss implementation issues.

5. Discussion points

An ILO representative asked if Yahoo! had a centralized fund to provide reasonable accommodation for its employees with disabilities. Some companies used a centralized

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reasonable accommodation fund to allow managers to hire disabled persons without facing a disincentive of having costs of accommodation charged to their department budgets.

Mr Chakravarthula answered that Yahoo! does not have a specific fund set-up to provide reasonable accommodation for employees with disabilities. Although the cost to provide reasonable accommodation is taken out from a manager's budget, he underscored that any accommodation requested by a disabled employee has never been denied. He also mentioned that software-related expenses are charged to the IT budget.

In terms of available software for blind or visually-impaired people, Mr Chakravarthula noted that a new speaking software called Nonvisual Destop Access (NVDA) has advantages over JAWS. It is a free and open source screen reader that runs under the Windows operating system and can be downloaded from http://www.nvda-project.org.

A participant asked how companies manage to make their corporate cultures more inclusive.

Another participant replied that disability sensitization workshops held at the senior management level have helped create greater awareness around disability issues. The respondent’s company also offers a sign language classes for its employees to alleviate communication barriers between Deaf and hearing individuals. The participant also added that there has been a common request from many corporate representatives to hold a workshop on Web accessibility in Bangalore and thanked the ILO for initiating the meeting.

Yahoo! was also questioned about its hiring practices with regard to people with disabilities. Both Mr Chakravarthula and Mr Datar responded that Yahoo! does not have a special hiring programme but does not discriminate and provides reasonable accommodation illustrated by Mr Chakravarthula.

6. Yahoo! Accessibility Lab

Mr Chakravarthula divided the participants into two groups to provide a tour of Yahoo!’s Accessibility Lab. In the Lab, he demonstrated how various devices were used to assist a broad range of people with disabilities. For example, he showed how a screen reader could assist blind or visually impaired users. He also introduced how people with no fingers could use a track ball mouse as an alternative input device and how a refreshable Braille display could help deaf-blind individuals read text on the computer screen.

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ILO Global Business and Disability NetworkSite Visit: Indian Institute of Management, Bangalore (IIM-B)

Office of Disability Services18 February, 2011

10:00-12:00

Summary Notes

1. Background information and programme

The ILO organized a second site visit to IIM-B as a side event of the ILO Global Business and Disability Network’s third inaugural planning meeting in Bangalore. The half-day visit was led by Professor Rishikesha Krishnan, Chairperson of Office of Disability Services (ODS), and Ms Meenu Bhambhani, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility at MphasiS and took place on the day after the one-day inaugural planning meeting. During the visit, participants learned about MphasiS’ role in establishing the ODS and about the support services provided to students with disabilities. Additionally, the visit provided an opportunity for the participants to meet students with disabilities and a disabled employee from IBM to hear about their experiences while attending the IIM-B and working at IBM. Lively discussion about peer counseling, independent living and other issues were made possible by the open discussion time available.

For the agenda, please see Annex 7.

2. Handouts

The IIM-B distributed a document on IIM-B’s policy statement regarding students with disabilities and an article written by Professor Krishnan on “Supporting Students with Disability”.

For meeting handouts, please see Annex 8.

3. Participants

Twenty-one participants, including five ILO staff, attended the site visit. In addition to the participants, five IIM-B students were present in the meeting and provided valuable inputs.

4. Establishing the ODS

Ms Meenu Bhambhani, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility, MphasiS

After welcoming the participants to the IIM-B, Ms Bhambhani shared her experience as a graduate student of the University of Illinois, Chicago (UIC). While attending the UIC, Ms Bhambhani benefited from services offered by the school’s Student Disability Services, which supported disabled students in terms of providing reasonable accommodation and academic support, and facilitating the full participation of students with disabilities in the campus life. She

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realized a support system made a real difference for a disabled student. Looking back on her past educational experience in India, she had received no such support.

Upon returning to India, Ms Bhambhani started her career with MphasiS. Her specific responsibilities, apart from leading the Corporate Social Responsibility programme, included leading MphasiS’ diversity initiatives with a special focus on disability. By collaborating with various non-governmental organizations, she was able to significantly increase the number of disabled employees at MphasiS. However, it was a challenge to identify qualified students with disabilities from mainstream institutions. Recognizing that the lack of training facilities at educational institutions in India was hindering the employment of people with disabilities, MphasiS decided to join hands with IIM-B to establish the ODS.

5. IIM-B’s disability journey and services provided by the ODS

Professor Rishikesha Krishnan, Chairperson of Office of Disability Services (ODS), IIM-B

Professor Krishnan provided a brief introduction on India’s education system and the IIM-B. He noted that the IIM-B started admitting students with disabilities ten years ago when a three percent reservation for disabled students was enforced. Since then, every year, the IIM-B has been admitting on average of ten students with disabilities, who are either visually challenged or hearing impaired or have a mobility impairment.

He continued by explaining that the extent of disability among admitted students varies extensively. Generally, 70 per cent of the students can manage on their own while the other 30 per cent require some accommodation or support. With the growing number of disabled students, the IIM-B felt a need to organize a systematic system that could assist the students.

While attending a disability forum organized by the Confederation of Indian Industry, Professor Krishnan met Ms Bhambhani, who talked about her experience at UIC. The IIM-B decided to replicate the student disability service of the UIC by establishing the ODS.

In January 2010, the IIM-B officially launched the ODS. Some of the primary responsibilities of the ODS include assessing students’ needs when entering the Institute, taking proactive steps to provide academic materials in formats suitable to the students' needs, offering readers and other support volunteers, and providing other accommodation in classrooms. Furthermore, the ODS works to influence companies to recruit students with disabilities.

Professor Krishnan introduced five students with disabilities attending the IIM-B. The students explained that they were well supported by the entire student community of IIM-B including the Vikasana Club, a student club focused on socially responsible activities. The Club helped them adjust to campus life by providing a buddy system, which matches one non-disabled student to one disabled student.

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Professor Krishnan also shared that he is persuading other IIMs in India to establish an office for disabled students. He noted that three other institutions are interested in building such office.

To conclude the site visit, the participants had the opportunity to visit the ODS. A disabled student demonstrated how he uses an assistive device to read handouts and textbooks.

6. Discussion points

Lively discussions took place during the meeting. Among the participants, Ms Dipshikha Basu, Senior Information Development Manager, IBM, shared her experience as a wheelchair user in India and the educational and professional challenges she had faced. Throughout her student life, she was the only student with a disability in all the schools she had attended and the absence of peer support became frustrating at times. At work, disability status could interfere with team work due to misconceptions about disability, sometimes leaving disabled employees to pursue a slower career track than non-disabled employees.

Professor Krishnan asked if the group had any ideas about how to strengthen the confidence of students with disabilities finding many lacked confidence as compared to the general student population. He has offered counseling to students, but some do not wish the service.

Ms Debra Perry from the ILO responded that this is an issue as many people with disabilities may have been more socially isolated than nondisabled persons and some programmes serving and including disabled persons use various methods to help boost confidence. Some private sector companies use coaches and mentors for both disabled and nondisabled persons who wish them; some training programmes have added a confidence building class prior to vocational training and role models or peer counselors can be used, if the student with a disability wishes such a service. A fairly long discussion about peer counseling which emerged out of the independent living movement ensued. The representative from DPIAP provided an excellent explanation of the concept and how it works, noting that people with disabilities are matched to trained peer counselors who have a similar disability. Further, she mentioned that the peer counseling approach is well developed as part of the independent living movement, an approach which is not yet established in India.

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Annexes

Annex 1: Agenda

Annex 2: Pre-meeting materials distribution

Annex 3: Participant list

Annex 4: Survey results

Annex 5: Roundtable instructions and draft operational procedures

Annex 6: Agenda

Annex 7: Agenda

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Annex 8: Handouts

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