Sri Lankan companies opening up to the disabled

By Dilshani Samaraweera

Sri Lankan companies are trying to overcome mental barriers against disability and are opening their doors to the disabled, says the Employers Federation of Ceylon (EFC).

In fact, the demand is exceeding the supply right now. “Employers are willing to provide employment for disabled people but they are facing difficulties finding disabled people,” said Meghamali Aluwihare, the Coordinator of the EFC’s Disability Network, at the network’s Annual General Meeting on Wednesday.

The EFC says the willingness to hire disabled persons is more to do with good business sense than charity. Disabled people, if found work that suits them, tend to show a single minded dedication to their work that employers often don’t get from normal employees. Companies that have made the mental and physical adjustments to accommodate disabled persons at their workplaces have found this out. The good results are also prompting others and 7 more companies joined the EFC’s Disability Network between July and September this year.

Currently 21 companies in total have joined the Network to open their workplaces to the disabled. This is actually not very much given that the EFC has a membership of 500 companies, but the EFC says the reaction so far is encouraging, given traditional attitudes.

No rejects

Sri Lanka’s garment factories for example are learning to expand their mind space to accommodate people with disabilities – this despite the huge production pressures the industry is facing.

“In our factory we have 12 disabled people, mostly people who can’t hear or can’t talk. They work mainly in the finishing department doing packing and fixing buttons,” says Factory Manager of Favourite Garments Ratmalana, Kanishka Perera.

The garment factory says it is willing to recruit another 10 - 15 disabled persons for identified jobs and considers it a solid investment in human resource.

“Garment sector work is a rush job, always having production targets. So there are limits to what a disabled person can do. But when they are given something they can do, they do it better, because they are not distracted so much like normal people. So we have to first find the types of work suitable for them,” says Perera.

Companies like Polytex Garments and Shadowline, a company in the MAS Group, have also started hiring disabled people.

“We hired three people who are deaf. Initially we were a bit scared whether the other workers will accept them. But we selected a very concerned technical officer to put them under.

Now all the other workers also look after them. In fact, although we hired all three to iron, we found that two were fantastic sewing machine operators and they are now sewing,” says Sunil Meewewa, Assistant Manager, Human Resources, Shadowline. Shadowline is looking to make room for two more disabled people in their factory. Poliytex Garments of Ekala has also hired three disabled persons with hearing and walking disabilities.

Other garment producers like Hirdaramani are looking to hire the disabled. These companies say they do not discriminate the disabled in anyway and that disabled workers are paid the same salaries and incentives as normal workers.

All the companies say absenteeism and employee turnover is lower among disabled employees.