This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on March 18, 2024 - March 24, 2024

In a society that views differently abled individuals through a lens of pity or sympathy, the potential of such individuals to actively contribute to the workforce is often overlooked.

According to a study by the Department of Statistics Malaysia (DoSM), 58% of persons with disabilities (PWDs) believe that employment opportunities in the country are limited. The challenge does not end there, as the study also found that 95% of employees in this category belong to the B40, earning less-than-satisfactory wages.

 “More prominently in the Southeast Asian countries, the mindset and paradigm here are more towards sympathy. They always think the disabled need donations and they need their family to care for them, instead of viewing them for their human value,” says Tan Ee Beng, head of ESG services department at Genashtim. 

Tan lives with Leber congenital amaurosis, which is a rare eye disease that has limited his vision to less than 20% since birth. He initially struggled to secure a job despite possessing a degree. Even after he was hired, Tan suffered from verbal abuse and was chased out of meeting rooms by his superiors because of his disability.

In 2019, Tan was introduced to Genashtim, a social enterprise that hires individuals from marginalised communities to provide e-learning, digitalisation and ESG services. Eventually, he was promoted to the head of the ESG department under the mentorship of Thomas Ng, who founded the company.

As more corporations are pressured to act on diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) beyond gender, the hiring of differently abled individuals — whether with mental or physical disabilities — could become a focus.

Already, there are corporations that are introducing training and internship programmes for this group of people, with hopes of absorbing them into the workforce.

One of the corporations is Gamuda. In 2013, Gamuda launched its Project Differently-Abled to employ adults on the autism spectrum. This eventually became the Enabling Academy (EA) in 2017. EA trains, employs and connects adults on the autism spectrum with partner corporations.

“Our vision for fostering inclusivity among neurodiverse groups extends beyond employment opportunities. Through the EA, we want to see broader societal recognition of the unique contributions that neurodiverse individuals offer. We aim to have more partner organisations embracing diversity, not as a checkbox exercise but as a fundamental principle in hiring,” says Lim Hui Yan, head of Yayasan Gamuda.

Since DEI is a topic under the ESG framework, there is a chance for the inclusion of differently abled people into the workforce, not just as a short-term corporate social responsibility project. Instead, it could be a sustainable institutionalised initiative within corporations.

“We have started to see that more corporations are really taking it seriously. They want to start it right because they are learning from others’ mistakes as well. When you start too soon, you don’t have the proper ecosystem in place that will last. That’s why they will ask us what works and what doesn’t,” says Grace Gan, manager at EA.

Genashtim’s Ng first learnt about the capabilities of PWDs in 1998 when he attended a presentation on how blind people were trained to use computers. When he inquired further, it turned out that 509 individuals had been trained to use computers over five years, yet none of them were employed.

“There was a blind girl who was employed but the company hired her because she was very pretty,” says Ng, who became determined to get the PWDs hired into proper roles.

He introduced the trainees to CEOs and Chamber of Commerce members, generating interest in their abilities. Yet, translating these opportunities into employment proved challenging, owing to obstacles, such as budget constraints, personnel changes and restructuring. Despite 2½ years’ work, not a single person was successfully placed in a job.

“I said, ‘Fine, we’re going to start a business and we’re going to employ these [PWDs] because they can work.’ That was how Genashtim started in 2008,” says Ng.

Accessibility is a major issue affecting PWDs in the workplace, though. The report by DoSM showed that 44% of employed PWDs said they experienced inaccessible infrastructure.

However, when PWDs are allowed to work from home using technology, it addresses many of the challenges that hinder their integration into the workplace. Remote working can help address many issues pertaining to travel time and accessibility to transport for many PWDs, making it easier for them to work.

“Many of us have disabilities and you don’t get that same level of accommodation that you have in physical offices. So, you can set your workstation how you want it to be and what you’re comfortable with at home,” says Amalina Hares, section manager of learning services at Genashtim.

Amalina was diagnosed with a genetic eye disorder called Stargardt disease at the age of 12. She is a seasoned training coordinator and workshop lead in guiding teams to curate webinar experiences.

She is also a national goalball player, which is a sport specifically for the blind. She has represented Malaysia twice in the Southeast Asia Games, winning the bronze medal both times.

Genashtim began allowing remote work from 2008. Today, it functions fully through remote work, hiring almost 200 people from 25 countries.

For this to work, securing trust from employers is equally important. It helps that there is an understanding that home responsibilities cannot be avoided while working remotely. So, if a child pops into a meeting, they are welcome to join, says Amalina.

Tan adds that working remotely has allowed him to care for his daughter’s needs while managing his day-to-day work duties.

“People I often talk to will say that [remote work] will require me to work extra hours but, sometimes, your personal life will [blend into] your workplace. To me, the fruits of working from home are much more rewarding,” says Tan.

His views are echoed by Mazrina Mahat, lead verification analyst at Genashtim. Mazrina lives with a spinal cord injury that left her paralysed from the waist down.

“My daughter is actually my main source of determination. But she has epilepsy and requires special attention. So, the flexibility of being able to care for her and manage work at the same time really helps,” she says.

The differently abled community also includes the neurodiverse. Being neurodivergent means having a brain that works differently from the average person. Examples are individuals with autism and mental illnesses.

Recruiting differently abled individuals demands a deep understanding of their unique traits. It is essential to challenging the misconception that they are suited for only routine tasks or lower-level positions.

“The public definitely has more understanding of disabilities that are visible. People with autism fall under intellectual learning disabilities and this category is challenging [to understand] because it is all in [how the mind thinks differently from others],” says Gan.

“We noticed that there are a lot of non-governmental organisations providing training and opportunities for persons with disabilities, but there’s another group of higher functioning [neurodiverse individuals] who managed to go to tertiary education and graduated.”

However, these individuals oftentimes cannot sustain their jobs and end up being unemployed.

“Gamuda would like to bridge the current gap by recruiting this group of neurodivergent individuals to be part of the workforce, and also to help the ‘Gamudians’ become more inclusive,” says Gan.

EA offers an employment transition programme that runs for three months. It helps assimilate adults with autism into the workplace and facilitates them in addressing social issues. One of the core challenges for adults with autism is not just the job itself but also having the social skills needed in the workplace.

“For me, I have issues with trying to communicate my feelings. As I went through [the programme], I had moments [where I learned new things], such as work etiquettes and how to handle social situations,” says Adam Ikhwan Bin Abdul Malik, an engineer who graduated from the EA and now works for Gamuda. 

The classroom sessions touch on personal and career development topics and ways to manage emotions in the workplace. EA’s in-house job coaches and trainees facilitate the sessions, with the assistance of occasional guest speakers, who are industry professionals.

“As a job coach, some [intakes] come with challenges, in terms of behavioural or emotional challenges. Some of them come not just with autism or learning disabilities, but also other mental health challenges. A lot of the one-on-one sessions can be quite heavy sometimes,” says Syafika Pabir, assistant manager for training and operations and Adam’s job coach at EA.

Job coaches are constantly learning on the job, as observing the neurodiverse individuals helps them gather information about their working style and triggers. These observations become future references for companies that these individuals will be placed in, so adequate support can be provided to the individuals and their employers.

She elaborates that communication with the parents is important to make sure that everyone is on the same page about work expectations.

After the three-month programme, Yayasan Gamuda will assist neurodiverse individuals with job placement negotiations, based on their working traits and personality. An awareness session will be held with the employer to help them set up a proper structure for hiring the neurodiverse community.

“When we transition [our graduates] into the workplace, that is where EA’s job placement support comes in. EA’s support [extends] up to three years because we want to encourage partner companies to hire [these communities] as well,” says Gan.

The employment transition programme is fully paid for by Yayasan Gamuda. So far, EA has produced up to 106 graduates and partnered with 50 companies in this initiative. EA graduates are also offered the opportunity to be absorbed into Gamuda.

“[For] the first batch that came in 2014, the majority have stayed on in Gamuda, with our three-year retention rate at 93%. Most of them have stayed in Gamuda for more than five years,” says Gan.

Yayasan Gamuda is also collaborating with government agencies such as the Department of Social Welfare and the Ministry of Youth and Sports to run training sessions and workshops for lecturers and practitioners in the field, so that more similar programmes can be replicated.

“The challenge is always with the rural areas and East Malaysia. Certain parts of Malaysia [still have] limited job opportunities offered to neurodivergent individuals,” says Gan.

Yayasan Gamuda is looking to extend support to other learning disabilities categories, including ADHD and dyslexia.

An important realisation is that individuals with disabilities may encounter physical or neurological challenges, but many do not perceive them as obstacles. An inspiring takeaway is their acceptance of their reality and ability to navigate it.

“If you see it as a challenge and do not want to change your mindset, things will never improve and it will always be a challenge,” says Raj Kumar Selvaraj, process manager at Genashtim and verification analyst for B Corp, a certification that measures companies’ social and environmental impact.

Their motivation for remaining in the workplace is rooted in the sense of inclusion and equality they experience, along with the opportunity to contribute meaningfully. Feeling valued and secure in their positions, they find satisfaction in being able to make a positive impact.

“ Since nobody is hiring these people, they have no work experience. So, there is no track record and no reference,” says Genashtim’s Ng. With social media being a double-edged sword, there is also the risk of terminating their employment and their speaking negatively about it online.

Token hiring also poses a setback to DEI initiatives, creating a precedent in which differently abled individuals are hired merely to avoid criticism and superficially demonstrating fairness in the treatment of such individuals.

Gan observes, however, that more corporations are taking it seriously and learning from their mistakes.

“While trying to meet the numbers or their key performance indicators, businesses also have to ensure that they have built up the right ecosystem in the workplace to make sure it is lasting and sustainable,” says Gan.

What about efforts by the government? The Human Resources Development Corporation (HRD Corp), under the Ministry of Human Resources, introduced Program Latihan Madani to empower micro, small and medium enterprises and communities, including PWDs, with training and development opportunities.

HRD Corp also collaborated with RHB Banking Group on its Neurodiversity@Work programme to integrate neurodivergent young adults aged between 17 and 35 into society by providing them with employment and independent living skills.

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