Useful Resources
VIBEWA is committed to improving the work life of Blind and low vision bank employees of India. We believe in enhancing capabilities and continuous self development. Below are provided links to various legal provisions concerning blindness and low vision, documents VIBEWA has compiled, material for various banking related exams and technology related resources which will definitely equip you with wherewithal to be a optimally productive blind banker.
Legal provisions
Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016
India has enacted law dealing with rights of persons with Disabilities which provides for Accessibility, Equality, Assistive technology, Reasonable Accommodation, Reservation in Education, Employment and government schemes, and so on.
MoF OM for facilities to Employees with disabilities
DoPT issued guidelines to provide certain facilities to persons with disabilities who are already in the service of the government to secure better working conditions for them. Initially, DoPT had omitted ministry of finance from these guidelines which would have resulted in complete exclusion of banks and all financial institutions from these guidelines. It was timely intervention by VIBEWA and frantic phone calls to secretaries which resulted in forwarding these guidelines to Ministry of finance on March 31, 2014. Even then, MoF took a long time in forwarding these guidelines to all banks and other financial institutions for compliance and did it after several reminders by VIBEWA. The guidelines now have to be followed in letter and spirit by all financial institutions which would prove to be a game changer in ensuring productivity to the VI employees. The guidelines can be located at:
DoPT circular from MOF for disabled employees of banks November 2014
VIBEWA documents
Jobs performed by VI employees in banks
VIBEWA believes in empirical approach. So, we put together a compilation of actual job roles and activities performed by various blind and low vision persons in banks. The inputs were gathered from the persons who actually do those job activities. The document is a work in progress and is a potential guiding resource for VI employees as well as sighted managers who are struggling for proper job roles for VI. It can be viewd at:
Jobs in banks for vi by vibewa
Preparing a report on Challenges before VI bank employees
VIBEWA had launched the first of its kind survey to capture the lived experience of blind and low vision bank employees all over the country in 2015. It brought to fore numerous challenges being faced by VI bank employees in all the banks ranging from non-provision of assistive technology to Inaccessibility of internal sites and software and non-mapping of job roles etc. VIBEWA also gathered banks’version of realities by obtaining information under RTI and armed with all this, went on to compile the first-ever report on the challenges before VI bank employees and way forward. Besides collating survey and RTI results, VIBEWA has, in the report, given relevant legal provisions and suggestions to implement them on the ground.
VIBEWA report on working conditions of VI in banks
Technology links
Assistive technology and accessibility are the cornerstones of productivity of blind and low vision employees in the banks.