A first in India, the platform aids people with disabilities like visual, hearing impairment, and locomotive disorders seeking employment.

Figure 1: "Swarajability". AI platform for disabilities.

Figure 1 shows that the app, which is the first of its kind in India, was launched during a soft-launch event last week, by the Principal Scientific Adviser to the government of India, Prof K Vijay Raghavan.

Kotak Mahindra Bank has funded the initiative while the AI component was led by IIT-Hyderabad in addition to app development by Visual Quest India. Youth4Jobs offered its experience in skilling, disability, and job linkages.

The premier engineering college, the Indian Institute of Technology in Hyderabad (IIT-Hyderabad), has created "Swarajability", an artificial intelligence (AI)-based job platform for people with disabilities (PwDs), to help them seek opportunities in the tech sector. [1]

The platform will analyse the profiles of the job seekers and suggest the skills they would require to become eligible. A platform that addressed this challenge would help this vulnerable section of the population.

There are 21 million persons with disabilities in the country. About 70 per cent of them are either unemployed or underemployed. [2]

The Right to PwD Act 2016 for the first time highlights the right of a person with a disability (PwD) to education and employment.

This provides an opportunity for PwDs to get skilled and linked to jobs. However, one major challenge they face is that most of the existing platforms are inaccessible and not customized to the special needs of persons with disabilities.

According to the developers, the importance of creating this platform is that if the country is to meet its demographic dividend, the most vulnerable, like youth with disabilities, should be skilled and linked to sustainable opportunities.

Technology can facilitate this and ensure that no one is left behind. This customized job platform is named "Swarajability" as it gives independence to PwDs using technology, skills, and job linkages.

It is an effort to include cutting-edge technology that allows persons with disabilities from all walks of life to join and explore job opportunities. Youth are given training that is tailored to their skills and knowledge, they said.

"It is a one-stop-shop for organisations that want to hire persons with disabilities. Also, it supports NGOs, educational institutions, and governments in their efforts to promote diversity and inclusion."[3]

References:

1. https://indiaai.gov.in/news/india-launches-swarajability-an-ai-based-platform-for-the-disabled-jobseekers
2. https://currentaffairs.adda247.com/swarajability-indias-first-ai-based-job-platform-for-persons-with-disabilities/
3. https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/jobs-careers/indias-first-ai-based-job-platform-for-persons-with-disabilities-366971

Cite this article:

Sri Vasagi K (2022), An AI based platform for disability job seekers - "Swarajability", Anatechmaz, pp. 58