Atypical Advantage is India’s largest livelihood platform for persons with disabilities, connecting over 40,000 PwDs to opportunities across creative, service, and industrial sectors.
New ‘Work That Includes’ guide aims to strengthen equal opportunities, workplace dignity, and economic empowerment for persons with disabilities across India’s manufacturing sector.
MUMBAI (Ambedkar Chamber): Godrej Consumer Products Ltd. (GCPL), India’s leading company committed to diversity, inclusion, and equality, together with Atypical Advantage, the country’s largest livelihood platform for people with disabilities, successfully hosted the EmployAbility in Manufacturing Summit 2025 in Mumbai. The summit brought together industry leaders, policymakers, and inclusion advocates to advance disability inclusion within India’s manufacturing sector.
The manufacturing sector employs over 30 million people, yet a significant inclusion gap persists. In the private sector, the workforce participation rate for persons with disabilities (PwD) stands at only 36%, compared to roughly 60% for those without disabilities. The summit therefore aimed to shift the narrative from “why inclusion is needed” to “how companies can practically implement it.”
A key highlight of the event was the launch of ‘Work That Includes’- India’s first Employability Toolkit which is a practical, implementation-ready guide designed to help manufacturing units achieve meaningful disability inclusion. Unveiled in the presence of Ira Singhal (IAS), a national icon of resilience and disability advocacy, along with leading industry experts, the toolkit offers step-by-step guidance on job mapping, accessibility checklists, workflow redesigns, Indian Sign Language (ISL) glossaries, and real-world case studies. Researched and written by Integrative Solutions, the toolkit draws from insights and lessons gathered across sectors such as FMCG, automobiles, semiconductors, and more, providing a comprehensive pathway to integrating PwD into factory operations.
“As per the National Institute of Urban Affairs (NIUA) report, the 2.21% official disability figure understates the true scale of underrepresentation in India. And while inclusion drives performance, manufacturing has been one of the slowest sectors to adopt disability inclusion due to legacy processes and outdated assumptions around productivity and safety.” said Vineet Saraiwala, Founder of Atypical Advantage.
He added, “Corporates like GCPL demonstrate that inclusive hiring in manufacturing is both practical and value-adding when approached intentionally. GCPL invested heavily in readiness to ensure that persons with disabilities hiring succeeded both operationally and culturally. With the right systems and mindset, inclusion is not only possible — it is deeply rewarding for companies, communities, and the country.”
Over the past five years, Atypical Advantage has enabled PwD hiring across leading companies like GCPL, Nestlé, Micron, Tata Motors, Arabil Solutions, and NIVEA, demonstrating significant gains in productivity, retention, and shop-floor discipline.
GCPL’s manufacturing units in Malanpur, Madhya Pradesh, and Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu have set a national benchmark for accessible, inclusive, and high-performing factory environments. Through a structured approach that includes job mapping, infrastructure upgrades, Indian Sign Language (ISL) resources, and technical training, GCPL has demonstrated how disability inclusion can strengthen workplace culture while enhancing operational excellence.
Vaibhav Ram, Global Head – HR, Godrej Consumer Products (GCPL), said, “At a time when disability employment in India remains far below its potential, GCPL is committed to driving meaningful change. We have already employed more than 20 persons with disabilities across our factories, with plans to expand into additional roles and locations. It is important to recognise that disability inclusion is not just a choice but a necessity. The ‘Work That Includes’ Toolkit, launched in partnership with Atypical Advantage and Integrative Solutions, underscores this reality by giving companies a strong starting point for their inclusion journey. It captures learnings from organisations like ours and equips industry players with the guidance needed to take the next step.”
Commenting further on GCPL’s PwD inclusion journey Vaibhav Ram, said, “Our factories demonstrate that productivity and empathy can co-exist — and that accessible workplaces build stronger, more resilient teams. We are embedding disability inclusion into long-term capability systems by integrating disability-awareness and Indian Sign Language (ISL) modules into our Learning Management System (LMS), making inclusive communication and leadership an integral part of our core training pathways.”
‘Work That Includes’ Toolkit reinforces that inclusive manufacturing is not CSR—it is a strategic business advantage. As India’s manufacturing sector continues to expand, disability inclusion emerges as both a societal responsibility and a significant economic opportunity.
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