National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People
Disability continues to remain largely absent from data collection, monitoring mechanisms, and mainstream development narratives. This invisibility often results in development narratives unintentionally leaving out persons with disabilities. Policymakers and practitioners tend to leave out persons with disabilities due to the unavailability of data. They continue to remain discriminated against which also reduces their access to social services and creates a general lack of recognition.
Creating visibility and awareness around the issues faced by persons with disabilities before a larger audience.
London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG)
Category A: Role Model Disabled Person Disabled persons from within the disability sector and outside who have been active as ambassadors of the cause of employment for persons with disabilities and are a positive role model for others.
Category B: Role Model Supporter of Increased Employment Opportunities for Disabled People Individuals from within the disability sector or outside who have contributed substantially to the cause of promoting employment opportunities for persons with disabilities over an extended period of time.
Category C: Role Model Companies/NGOs/Institutions Organisations from the disability sector or outside that have shown their commitment towards promoting equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.
Role Model Entrepreneurs with Disabilities: Entrepreneurs with disabilities who have managed to set up businesses and sustained them over a period of time. The efforts of these individuals have positively impacted not only their lives but also the lives of others involved. This category was added in 2021 and 3 awards are given under this category, across the country.
The NCPEDP-Mphasis Universal Design Awards are conferred on individuals and organizations in 4 categories who have created an impact on accessibility and Universal Design in a personal or professional capacity.
In developing countries like India, this concept of accessibility and Universal Design has yet to attain popularity and that is what the Universal Design Awards do every year with a view to spreading awareness and popularizing the concept.
The disability rights movement advocates equal access for people with disabilities to social, political, and economic life, which includes not only physical access but access to the same tools, services, organisations and facilities which we all pay for. Over the years, accessibility has become the fulcrum of the global disability rights movement.
A concept that is intrinsic to any kind of access is ‘Universal Design’, which means a design that is usable to the greatest extent possible by everyone, regardless of age, ability, or situation.
Instituted in 2010 by the National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) in partnership with Mphasis, the Awards have been recognised as the benchmark for best practices for accessibility for all, promoting local solutions with a focus on affordability, accessibility and scale.
The Awards cover accessibility in the following fields:
To carry on Mr Abidi’s legacy, the Javed Abidi Public Policy Award was instituted in 2018. This award is given to an organization and an individual for their pioneering work in ensuring that people with disabilities have equal access to the same opportunities and rights as all other citizens of India.