17-year-old helps many with special abilities to get work

With speech and hearing impairment, Amit found it impossible to get a job despite making umpteen efforts. That is when he came across a company run by an enterprising 17-year-old social entrepreneur.

In no time, Amit, now 27, got work with a job with Indian tea cafe chain 'Chaayos' as a 'Chai Trainer', virtually changing the course of his life. 

Speaking partly in sign language which some of his colleagues helped translate, Amit told IANS: "Working with 'Chaayos' has not only given me a livelihood but more importantly it has given me 'samman' (respect)."

For this, Amit gives full credit to SpectraVerse, a foundation set up by Shaurya Sinha who is a Class 12 student of Shri Ram College, Gurugram, and is passionate about psychology.

The platform connects foundations, candidates and companies to create employment opportunities for those with physical disabilities.

Sinha has been working with children and adults with disabilities as a volunteer since a young age.

Today, he personally works with more than 60 differently-abled candidates like Amit to help them overcome the barriers in the recruitment process. 

Sinha started this journey in 2015, working with a few NGOs providing education and skills to children with special needs. 

In the process, Sinha experienced the barriers many face -- and would face -- in gaining meaningful employment.

Motivated to develop a life-changing intervention, Sinha founded SpectraVerse, which tries to find openings for the deserving across fast-growing start-ups, retail groups, restaurants and hospitality chains. 

As of this month, the foundation has created over 24 partnerships in the hospitality, retail, and IT/ITeS industries.

Further, SpectraVerse has partnered with over five nationwide NGOs to reach out to over 5,200 differently-abled candidates. 

Leveraging his passion for film making, Sinha developed the concept of video resumes. 

These give hiring managers a genuine insight into the true capabilities of each candidate.

"It is important to recognize that for our candidates, employability goes beyond livelihood. Today, Amit is breaking the perceptions people have of disabilities," Sinha told IANS.

"Placements like these create a ripple effect, making more and more people believe in the real abilities of each candidate. That is what I love."IANS