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EnAble India is an organization that helps hundreds of thousands of disabled people in India find work – and it all began with one woman’s compassion for her brother.

When Shanti Raghavan’s 15-year-old brother began losing his sight she took it upon herself to discover ways her brother could adjust to everyday life.

According to The Christian Science Monitor, Shanti – who was then an information and technology professional – invited her younger brother to visit her in the U.S.

“We called him over to the US,” she recalls. “Though his eyesight had deteriorated a little, my husband and I took him to see cool touristy places like Niagara Falls.”

When his eyesight progressively got worse Shanti had him come to the US for a second time and this time she took a different approach and made the teen participate in adventure sports.

She told the Christian Science Monitor, “We focused on what he could still do, rather than focusing on what he couldn’t. We made him go swimming, rock climbing, kayaking, hot-air ballooning, and snorkeling in the ocean. We ensured that he had a lot of fun!”

Eventually, Mr. Raghavan achieved a bachelor’s degree in commerce and continued on to get an MBA in marketing from Narsee Monjee College, one of the top colleges in India.

Although he was ready to take on the world, he was unsuccessful in finding work.

You see, in India disability is largely looked down upon which can lead to extraordinary challenges when finding employment.

That’s when his big sister decided to step up to the plate again.

In 1999, along with her husband, Shanti founded EnAble India in Bangalore India.

Their company offers training to people with disabilities that would help them achieve work in the country. They also have programs and work closely with companies to obtain jobs for individuals participating in the program.

The program began on a part-time basis but soon escalated to a full time gig as its popularity grew.

They’ve subsequently partnered with several major companies in India to make employment possible for disabled individuals through innovative solutions like the one Shanti describes below.

Today, according to EnAble India’s website, more than 132,000 disabled people have benefited from the organization.

More than 4,500 disabled people – 26% of which are female – have been “gainfully employed” thanks to EnableIndia.

If Shanti’s story inspired you, be sure to pass this post along to your friends and family!

Sources:
Lakshmi Rebecca, YouTube
Christian Science Monitor