4. • Persons with disabilities (PwDs) in India face discrimination and
marginalization every day. They lack access to essential services and are
restricted in movement due to lack of infrastructure and ease of access.
• Their inability to contribute towards income of the family, incurring
expenses in treatment and medication are seen as an additional burden,
especially in a low-income household.
• However, L&T Group’s CSR is changing the lives of many PwDs with
targeted projects to boost their employability and self confidence. We are
featuring the most impactful CSR projects in India for Persons with
Disabilities.
Major focus : ‘CSR for Persons with Disabilities’
5. FocusAreasin Details
MINDTREE (L&T GROUP)
• Mindtree, a Larsen & Toubro Group company, has partnered with the National Centre for
Promotion of Employment for Disabled People(NCPEDP) to create equal opportunities
and an enabling work environment for people with disabilities.
• Every year, they identify 10 differently-abled people who are outstanding performers
across India and felicitate them with the NCPEDP Mindtree Helen Keller awards.
• The inclusivity of differently-abled people is a crucial part of Mindtree’s charter, and the
Mindtree Foundation is doing extensive work in developing technologies to assist them.
In fact, when Mindtree was created 20 years ago, the first logo was designed by 17-year
old Chetan, who has Autism spectrum disorder (it is a development disability caused by
differences in the brain). As a tech company, it is trying to make the daily lives of PwD’s
easier via assisted technologies.
6. Towards PwDs, Mindtree have delivered two technology
products to Aravind Eye Hospital in Madurai, Tamil Nadu:
(A) Visual Intervention Kit with Analytics for Special children (VIKAS):
VIKAS is an assorted collection of nine major exercises in 21 sub-exercises with 22 screens to
redress cognitive visual dysfunction (CVD). CVD is vision impairment occurring due to damage to
the brain where the eyes are able to see, but the brain is not able to process/interpret what is
being seen. CVD can be due to prematurity, structural/functional damage to the brain, autism,
cerebral palsy, etc. It can affect all aspects of educational, physical, social and emotional
development.
(B) Digital Nethra For Eye (DIGNI) :
This is an Android mobile application that reads the page of the printed book from a table-lamp like
structure, converts into audio and speaks it out through a headphone. This application performs
optical character recognition (OCR) of text and converts text to voice. It reads the contents of the
entire page (except the pictures). After a page is read, it prompts the user to turn the page.
7. NAYA SAVERA (Baroda- Skill
Development)
• L&T Technology Services initiated “Naya Savera” in partnership with ARCH Social Consultants
with an aim. “To ensure equal human rights for the differently abled individuals in Vadodara by
enhancing employability and providing them with opportunities to rise up with confidence and
self-respect”.
• It is a unique initiative, bringing a fresh beginning in the lives of 60 differently abled participants
was launched on 30th July ‘2016 at Tops Technology Centre, Baroda, Gujarat by Ms. Divya Bhatt
where the computer training sessions were conducted.
• Focus of the program was development of skills, knowledge, and a positive attitude in
participants. These three elements put together formed the key to success in finding a desired
and fulfilling job.
• Out of 60 people, 30 continued with their studies embarking a success ratio of 70%. Their job
profile varies from administration to finance and production department participants from first
batch,16 participants are placed in different companies, 3 are self-employed and 2 participants
opted for higher education.
