disability
"The down side of my celebrity is that I cannot go anywhere in the world without being recognized. It is not enough for me to wear dark sunglasses and a wig. My wheelchair gives me away."
- Stephen Hawkings
Promoting inclusion of Persons with Disabilities
At Tech Mahindra Foundation, disability is our third major area of intervention to empower all to Rise. We work relentlessly towards ensuring that Persons with Disabilities get social inclusion and equal opportunities of work for a better future. This is done through our two premier disability programs- ARISE+ (All Round Improvement in School Education for Children with Disabilities) and SMART+ (Skills-for Market Training for Persons with Disabilities). The Foundation mandates that 10% of all its beneficiaries are Persons with Disabilities.
SMART +
The immense success of our SMART program led to the launch of SMART+, a special program that focuses on skill development of Persons with Disabilities. Launched in the year 2013, this SMART+ disability program features a specially designed curriculum and state-of-the art as well as well-equipped classrooms enabling effectual communication for Persons with Disabilities to learn. It is a cross-cutting theme for our SMART program with vocational and skill development training centres.
ARISE +
ARISE+ or All Round Improvement in School Education, is a special disability program that encompasses our work in the area of school education for Children with Disabilities. The Foundation works with disabled children studying in government schools to help them realise their best potential and enable them to study in mainstream schools.