Beating Polio With Ambition
Disabled by Polio at age 3, Saritha hails from a small village in Andhra Pradesh where, despite her disability, she was able to complete her education and graduate with a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce. Unable to further her education due to her family’s financial position, Saritha tapped into her entrepreneurial spirit and immediately set up a small shop in her village to meet the basic needs of her family. She, however, never stopped dreaming big and when a team from CDT visited her village, she capitalized on that opportunity and expressed her desire to find formal employment outside of her village.
Inspired by her entrepreneurial spirit and never-give-up attitude, the team at CDT brought her to Bangalore where through the livelihood training program, she was given English communication skills training. She was also given Accountancy know-how and Computer Literacy training. More importantly for her, the team at Cheshire also managed to get her a new wheelchair and eventually a motorized three wheeler through a Government-sponsored scheme for the disabled.
With these new-found skills and mobility, Saritha was hired by an IT company, which eventually led her to apply to and land a position at Accenture; a Fortune 500 Multinational. Today Saritha and her disabled brother are both employed by IT firms with the help of CDT in Bangalore and she frequently visits CDT’s campus in Bangalore. Her life story is a motivating factor for other disabled candidates who seek CDT’s help.