Amazon India has entered into an agreement with the state governments of Haryana, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu to provide employment to persons with disabilities (PwDs) and make them part of the mainstream workforce. The Memorandum of Understanding or MoU, valid till 2026, is aimed at offering skilling and job opportunities to employable people with disabilities across these five state. This is a step in the right direction towards inclusive development and self-reliance.
The initiative will offer support to the PwDs in terms of on-the-jobtraining, intervention and an environment of acceptance and inclusion. These trained PwDs will then be employed across Amazon’s fulfilment centres, sortation centres and delivery stations for various roles, including stowing, picking, packing and sorting among other roles.
Liju Thomas, director – people experience and technology (PXT), India Operations, Amazon, explains how Amazon believes in fostering “a culture conducive to growth and offers people equal opportunities to unlock their full potential. With this initiative, we aim to focus on skilling and livelihood for PwD across Amazon India’s Operations network, over a period of three years.”
Amazon India already employs thousands of associates with hearing and speech impairments in its network. To accommodate them the company has made infrastructural changes too.
‘SignAble’ is one such initiative, which is a virtual and interactive interpreter platform that enables real-time communication between associates with hearing and speech disabilities and other associates on the floor. This tool has ensured higher collaboration and also strengthened morale. Through ‘SignAble’, Amazon India has enabled seamless trouble shooting and effective interaction. Customised safety orientation and presence of interpreters or fellow associate ‘buddies’ across shifts is also ensured for the PwDs. A token system helps track associate movements at work, and there are also whistle/strobe light and paging systems for emergency communication.
Amazon India’s ‘Silent Delivery Station’ is run by individuals with speech and hearing impairment. Since 2017 the company has been creating jobs for people with hearing impairment in its operations sites. It started with a few associates with speech and hearing impairment being trained to pack shipments at the Amazon fulfilment centre. Now, this initiative has expanded across Amazon India’s operations network across the country.
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