Around 15 per cent of the world’s population, or estimated 1 billion people, live with disabilities. This makes them the single largest minority in the world. Unfortunately, barring a few exceptions, their assimilation and empowerment has rarely been a part of any mainstream discourse- political or academic.
However, there are individuals and organisations that have emerged as silver linings in the lives of Persons with Disabilities (PwDs). In the realm of such organisations, few stories resonate as profoundly as that of Atypical Advantage, a trailblazing initiative dedicated to empowering persons with disabilities in the corporate landscape. Driven by the Founder’s personal experiences as a visually impaired individual, the organisation has come a long way in short span of three years and recently bagged the prestigious National Startup Award.
In this exclusive interview with TheCSRUniverse, Vineet Saraiwala, Founder & CEO, shares insights into the challenges faced by PwDs in the corporate world, the unique approach of Atypical Advantage in addressing them, and the pivotal role of corporate partnerships in driving meaningful change. As we explore the organization's achievements, milestones, and plans to empower 1 million disabled people by 2035, it becomes evident that Atypical Advantage is not just a hiring platform but a catalyst for transforming lives and building a more inclusive society.
Read the full interview to know the inspiring story of Vineet Saraiwala and his vision for Atypical Advantage:
Q. Congratulations on winning the prestigious National Startup Award! What were the factors/qualities that you think helped in setting Atypical Advantage apart from other startups competing in the social impact category?
A. Atypical Advantage has always been action-oriented with a primary focus on empowering persons with disabilities. The main emotion that runs through the entire organization is ‘empowerment’ and not sympathy. Our aim is to convince the world that talent can beat any disability.
Q. Please tell us a little more about the journey of Atypical Advantage- how did it come into being, the initial challenges you faced, and how the organization has evolved in terms of scope and scale since then?
A. Living with a visual impairment, I deeply understand the challenges faced by the disability community. Even with limited vision, I was fortunate to secure a corporate role after graduating from IIM Bangalore. However, witnessing the struggle for opportunity, particularly during the lockdown, I saw the limitations of individual efforts. This experience fueled the creation of Atypical Advantage, a platform specifically designed to bridge the gap between PwDs and employers, offering job opportunities, showcasing artistic talents, and creating a more inclusive work environment. At present, we have a large pool of 15,000+ talents with disabilities and have worked with 250+ corporations within a short span of 3 years. In the year 2023, we were also featured on Shark Tank Season 2.
Q. How would you describe the general view of corporates on hiring people with disabilities (PWD)? What are their biggest concerns and how do you address the same?
A. I believe corporates are apprehensive about hiring PWDs sometimes because of the fear of the unknown. The primary challenge lies in the widespread lack of awareness among the populace, with over 90% of both physical and digital environments remaining inaccessible for people with disabilities (PWDs). Negative societal attitudes often marginalized people with disabilities, hindering their inclusion and opportunities. Discriminatory behaviors further add to the challenges faced by PWDs, for example, not hiring them for particular roles. Insufficient infrastructure and inaccessible environments physically limit the mobility and participation of PWDs. For example: Lack of ramps at common public or office spaces. Inadequate digital accessibility, including inaccessible websites and technologies, creates barriers to information and communication for persons with disabilities.
In order to deal with all the above-mentioned challenges, Atypical Advantage was born. The platform provides an integrated solution for inclusive hiring from creating a candidate pool to post-placement support. Each vertical at Atypical Advantage is designed to empower and educate PWDs with an integrated approach. Atypical Academy helps people with disabilities to get trained, upskill them, and make them interview-ready, to be placed in recognized corporations all across the country. Atypical Workshops are aimed at corporates to sensitize them and equip them with disability etiquettes through workshops and physical disability audits, ensuring that their offices are ready to make people with disabilities a part of their team. Through Atypical Experiences, Atypical Art, and Inclusive Hiring, we empower disabled individuals to earn dignified livelihoods. We have a fully accessible website, and we ensure that all the support is readily available for people with different disability cohorts, be it screen readers for people with visual impairment, sign language interpreters for hearing impaired, and subtitles, voiceovers, and captions embedded videos to tackle the communication barriers.
Q. Atypical Advantage recently facilitated 100% summer placements for students with disabilities at IIM Bangalore and IIM Trichy. Can you share insights into the role of corporate partners, such as Nestle, PhonePe, and others, who actively participated in this initiative?
A. It’s imperative for corporate partners to ensure they are pitching the idea of hiring diverse candidates especially from the PWD cohort to their business leaders constantly. Create an atmosphere of inclusivity and welcoming differences within the team. Focus on the qualification, skill set, and competencies of the candidates. Having open conversations about disabilities within the organization itself (open forums and discussions). Addressing any apprehensions that might be raised by the business leaders by connecting them to organizations working in the disability space.
Q. Your collaboration with IIM Bangalore and Trichy also included the placement of neurodiverse candidates. In what ways is working with (or for) neurodiverse candidates different from working with candidates with physical limitations?
A. The teams who hire neurodiverse candidates must be empathetic in their communication and can openly ask the candidates any queries about their condition. Refrain from using derogatory phrases like mental, crippled, mad, etc. focus on their qualifications and skills rather than their disability. Sometimes people on the neurodiversity spectrum may be awkward in communication or might engage in repetitive behavior. It’s best to follow a predictive communication pattern and avoid using sarcasm or figures of speech.
Q. Could you shed some light on the unique skills and perspectives people with disabilities, including neurodiverse individuals, can bring to the workplace?
A. Hiring neurodiverse individuals can lead to a more dynamic, innovative, and inclusive workplace. Neurodiverse individuals often have unique ways of thinking and problem-solving due to differences in brain function. This can lead to diverse perspectives in problem-solving, which can be invaluable in creative tasks and decision-making processes.
Q. Assimilating candidates with disabilities into corporate environments can be challenging. How does Atypical Advantage support both candidates and corporates in creating a seamless integration process?
A. Sensitization is the key point in ensuring a seamless integration process. Through Atypical Academy, we ensure that candidates are upskilled and educated, and through Atypical Workshops we offer different sensitization workshops like sign-language, digital accessibility, neurodiversity, disability sensitization, etc.
Q. What are the most persistent challenges Atypical Advantage faces in its mission, and how do you plan to address them?
A. Demand-side problems:
a) Lack of awareness among businesses regarding the talents of PwDs as well as reluctance in hiring them
b) No entity to act as a liaison between disabled individuals and businesses and a lack of sensitized and inclusive infrastructure with businesses
Supply-side problems:
a) Lack of awareness among people with disabilities regarding opportunities available and no integrated platform for them to showcase & monetize their talents
b) Lack of proper infrastructure to handle communications, payments & logistics on behalf of persons with disabilities.
Q. In your opinion, what steps can policymakers take to build a more inclusive society, and what advice do you have for corporates looking to create a more inclusive workforce?
A. First step is to make education accessible, so that inclusion is taught from the basic level. Include sign languages in school.
Next step is to make infrastructure changes and make workspaces inclusive for all kinds of disabilities.
And the final step is to change your own mindsets about the incapabilities of people with disabilities and have faith in their talents and hard work, because at the end, your mindset can make or break things.
Q. Looking back, what do you consider Atypical Advantage's biggest success or most significant milestone to date? Is there any individual success story that is particularly close to your heart?
A. Recently, 200+ artists with disabilities have collectively earned more than ₹1 crore livelihood through opportunities provided by our platform in the last three years. That's an achievement for us, proving that talent and passion can truly thrive with the right support. It's inspiring to see these artists breaking down barriers and achieving financial security and success. One of the closest stories to our hearts is Varun Naren’s. He is an artist on the autism spectrum and has been able to conduct 15+ workshops for corporates through AA. We had the amazing opportunity to witness Varun’s journey as he gained a sense of belonging and confidence through his work.
Q. How has working with persons with disabilities changed your perspective, and what key lessons have you learned throughout this journey?
A. Working with the incredible community of people with disabilities has been a constant source of inspiration. Being a person with disabilities myself, I understand the challenges faced by this community. Their resilience, ingenuity, and unwavering determination in the face of challenges are truly humbling. But the bigger lesson remains that disability doesn't define ability. These individuals bring a unique perspective and a wealth of talent to the table, and it's our responsibility to create a world where those strengths can truly shine. As far as our employees are concerned, they have been equipped with disability etiquette and now are more aware of the correct terminologies to be used and how to be inclusive.
Q. What does the future outlook for Atypical Advantage look like? Are there any upcoming initiatives or partnerships that you are looking forward to in the near future?
A. With being the only player of its kind globally catering to all forms of disability as well as livelihood opportunities, across the spectrum, we are definitely looking to expand. With our first-ever physical training center opening up in Ahmedabad, we are aiming to open 10 new centers across the top cities in India, aimed at upskilling people with disabilities.
Our continuous effort in sensitizing and spreading awareness has resulted in a commitment from companies like Godrej and Nestle to hire 5% of their workforce from the disability pool and we are planning to deep dive into the manufacturing center for an increase in hiring of people with disabilities. We are already working with 250+ brands and we aim to expand this partnership to 1000+ brands and impact more than 1 million lives of disabled people by 2035.
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