PARIMALA, HR CO-ORDINATOR, IBM

After her graduation, Parimala was worried whether she would get a job. She was not choosy about the work profile nor did she have any high salary expectation. Inspite of this, she did not find a job for a long time until Shanti, the founder of EnAble India, found one for her in IBM. Another factor that got her a job at this premier software company was her constant effort to upgrade herself and make herself employable. In this regard, Parimala had made use of her free time by enrolling in computer training and FM radio training. “I never wanted to be a radio jockey, but FM radio training helped me with my communication skills”, says Parimala very matter-of-factly. She adds, ”If you have a disability you need to work extra hard to make sure you overcompensate for it. Anybody can sit and whine about not being blessed with this or that, but what do you gain? A few morsels of self pity? I don’t want pity, I want a life like everybody else. In fact, I want to live a life as best as I can.”

Along with the job came some positive changes in her life. The most obvious one was that she became more independent financially. The work experience also changed many aspects of her behavior which helped her mingle with the external world more easily.

This is Parimala’s piece of advice to those who are treading the same path as hers: “Believe in your abilities, learn to understand your strengths and areas of improvement and work towards making yourself employable on the basis of your strengths.”