About Us
Our Mission
Section 20,21 and 34 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (RPWD Act) 2016 provide for non-discrimination in employment, equal opportunity policy by the employer and reservation in government employment including banks for persons with benchmark disabilities, 1% each for persons with Blindness/low vision, hearing impairment, locomotor disability and other disabilities. Of all the categories, Employees with visual challenges and/ or hearing impairments are restrained because of their sensory limitations coupled with lack of clear understanding about implications of such limitations.
In recent times, both through individual banks’ recruitment and through Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS), many blind and low vision people are getting into the banking sector. However, their productivity at the work-place remains an area of concern as several factors hinder the optimum utilization of their skills. Lack of awareness among employers, and sometimes among employees also, about the availability of assistive technology for visually challenged; resistance by managements, especially at operational levels, to installation of assistive software on internal applications of the banks; additional costs to be incurred on purchase of these software, etc. are some of the major hurdles impeding the abilities of visually challenged bank employees. The lack of an enabling environment to perform to their full potential results in high dissatisfaction amongst visually challenged bankers. This is in addition to the erroneous perception of the organizations that recruitment of persons with visual challenges is an act of mere charity.
A major objective of VIBEWA is to ensure that people with vision challenges are not merely employed in banks, but are enabled to be effective and productive.
VIBEWA, besides myriad other activities, also runs an e-group for visually challenged bankers working in different geographical locations to meet online and discuss issues pertaining to their work-place productivity. Members can share their experiences, both good and bad, with others and learn from one another in the process. If a member is doing a particular job in his/her bank which they think other visually challenged bankers can also emulate, she/he can share it with the group so that colleagues working in the same bank as well as in other banks can replicate it in their respective offices. This is one way a person who is productive at her/ his office can guide others also to be productive. There can be many more.
Please drop a mail with your details to: vibewamembership@gmail.com to join the e group.