Hardworking, honest & efficient, these young men show the way

PUNE: About a dozen young men are busy cutting insulation sheets at a factory in Bhosari. They could pass of as any set of employees doing their job, but for the fact that they have learning disabilities. But that is no hindrance to their job, as hard work is all they know and care about.
been working tirelessly for the last seven hours with just a lunch break in between.They don't care for tea (though the owner insists they do), casual chats and other non-productive activities. Work is all they know.
"I have 12 people with learning disabilities in my factory for about seven years now. I am not doing them a favour because each one of them is honest, hardworking and efficient," says S L Godbole, the director of Alfa Enterprises, which specializes in fiberglass reinforced plastic moulding.
Godbole, whose son is autistic, says, "I think with a little thought and effort every entrepreneur can create jobs for high-functioning people. And all it requires is a will and little empathy."
Godbole recalls the first day when three of the men joined his factory. "They were overjoyed because they had uniforms and shoes like other 35 employees of the factory. It was the feeling of being treated equal what left them in tears. They don't know the importance of money, but they do value love and affection," he says.
The company doesn't allow these workers to work on machines as they do not understand fear. "Though the job they do is quite monotonous, these boys are energetic and love their work. They are an asset to our company," says Sonali Marne, the company administrator.
Providing open employment for these men has had its share of challenges. "Initially, other employees used to tease them. One day I called all of them in my cabin and told them that if tomorrow any one has to leave the company, it would be them and not my boys. Since then all employees have been sharing a very cordial relationship with each other. In fact, they go out of their way to help these boys out," says Godbole.
Having a job, which pays them, has done a world of good to their confidence. Most of them now aspire to buy a house of their own. Prasad Javadekar, one such worker, says, "I would like to take care of my parents when they grow old." Javadekar's father also owns a manufacturing unit.
Sudhir Pawar was happy because he could buy a saree for his mother, while 50-year-old Sandeep, a self-proclaimed foodie, enjoys the freedom of going out to restaurants on his own and relishing his favourite non-vegetarian delicacies.
Shanti Auluck, the director of Muskaan, a Delhi-based NGO that aims to empower the disabled, says: "It is important to recognize that people with intellectual disability vary in terms of their impairment of intellectual functioning. It is only high functioning persons (approximately 20%) who can be employed in open sector. About 80% of them need higher level of support in daily activities of life including work."