These are just three examples of Mphasis’ growing tribe of differently-abled employees, currently accounting for 1% of the company’s total headcount of 32,753. Meenu Bhambani, Manager (Community Initiatives), says Mphasis is considered an employer of choice for disabled people. “There’s a conscious effort in the company to assimilate disabled people into the workforce.”

Smitha endorses that statement, saying the job interview at Mphasis focused on her skill sets and not her disability. “Most other companies only want to know how I’ll cope with my disability at the workplace,” she adds.

The company also does its best to ease work for the disabled. When Karthik had to go to Mangalore for training, he was allotted a separate apartment where he could stay with his mother. Ramps were built to ensure he could navigate his wheelchair across the campus.
This sensitivity didn’t happen in a day—it’s taken a lot of effort from Bhambani and her team. But the lady isn’t satisfied. It’s work in progress, she says­—“there’s still a long way to go.”