Home Facilities Employment

For any individual employment signifies - economic independence, self-confidence, self-respect and social acceptance in society. For every blind and visually impaired individual it means no less. With this belief in mind, the employment department with aid from the various State and District branches, strives to provide more and more blind individuals with diverse employment opportunities in the public and private sector.

Since its inception in 1954 till date, more than 6500 blind individuals have emerged as successful professionals. The department offers three types of employment programs depending upon the education, literacy and skill-set of individuals.

• Home Bound Programme

Open Employment
Under this program, the Department seeks to provide job opportunities that are best suited for the educated and uneducated, skilled and unskilled visually challenged persons in various public/ private sector units. Employment in textile mills, factories, commercial firms, government organizations, municipal schools, Zilla Parishad offices, institutions for the blind and sugar factories are some openings that have made a sizeable number of blind individuals earn a living and make productive use of their talent and time. The Department of Employment, Mumbai Office alone has been able to place more than 3000 visually impaired persons under this program.

For further details do contact: santoshthomas@nabindia.org

Self Employment
As the name suggests this program aims to help the blind become entrepreneurs for small businesses. The Department identifies potentially lucrative sites and liaisons with government bodies like Traffic Dept, Municipal Corporation, Telephone authorities and Donors for setting up:

• Vending stalls
• Handicapped Public Call Offices
• STD/ ISD kiosks
• The booths allotted by the Municipal Corporation are generally of two sizes, viz, 4' x 3' x 8' or 6' x 3' x 8'. However, the booths allotted by other organisations and private bodies may be of different sizes.

In addition to the above, blind are given additional opportunities where they run more complicated jobs like selling stationery; operate Fax, Zero and Typing machines. While earning a respectable amount of Rs. 100/- to Rs. 1,000/- per day depending upon the type of business conducted, they gain added self-confidence.

Today, more than 500 people have been gainfully self-employed all over the country.

For further details do contact: santoshthomas@nabindia.org

Home Bound Programme

This program is ideal for blind and visually challenged individuals who are unable to travel for work. The department offers incentives for domestic jobs like flour grinding, sewing, stitching, cutting etc. It raises funds to provide individuals with:

• Flour Grinding Machine (Gharghanti)
• Leather Cutting Machine
• Stitching Machine
• Sewing Machine
• Popcorn making Machine

The program also invites neighbours of the blind individual and volunteers from surrounding areas to assist and patronize the business.

The number of blind beneficiaries assisted under this Project is above 190.
Many others have also been provided a source of earning income on a stop-gap arrangement by way of the Mini-Self Employment Scheme till the time they get a proper employment opportunity.
For further details do contact: santoshthomas@nabindia.org

Additional Support

To make successful professionals of all its aspiring candidates, the department consciously carries out man managing activities like:

• Counseling (pre & post employment)
• Advice on in interview techniques
• Competitive exam training
• Providing information on various Governmental finance schemes for Self Employment awareness generation programs for the potential employer and colleagues of the visually challenged

Future Challenges

The tide is changing everyday. The variables of the economy and society pose newer challenges. Since its inception in 1954, the department has been incorporating numerous diverse employers by creating awareness about employment potential of the visually challenged through talks, lectures, presentation, media and exhibitions.

One of the most recent ones tilted “VISION” was collaborated with General Administration Department, Mantralaya in Mumbai to generate awareness among the various policy makers.
With this approach and help from the society and the government the department endeavors to make every blind individual in the country, independent and self-sufficient.