Affiliations: McGill Institute for Health and Social Policy, McGill
University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada | UCLA Fielding School of Public Health, University of
California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Note: [] Corresponding author: Laura Benshoff, 4826 Walnut Street #3, Philadelphia,
PA 19139, USA. Tel.: +1 215 510 5791; Fax: +1 215 683 2015; E-mail: lbenshoff@gmail.com;laura.benshoff@mail.mcgill.ca
Abstract: In India, the low rate of employment of people with disabilities is
a large problem in the growing economy. Looking at one advocacy group's
strategies for influencing the private sector and lobbying the Indian
government for more responsive employment policies, this article focuses on
NCPEDP's holistic approach to increasing employment of people with disabilities
as an example of notable, innovative practice. The article examines NCPEDP's
strategies towards the private sector, public policy, and civil society,
including its Disability Awards (highlighting inclusive workplaces), the 2001
and 2011 Census campaigns' efforts for people with disabilities to become
accurately counted, and its networks of disability organizations that
disseminate relevant information and campaign for greater equality across the
nation. The benefits and limitations of these strategies are then assessed for
lessons regarding the strategies available to small nongovernmental
organizations seeking to influence employment, the private sector and public
policy in other settings.
Keywords: Rights-based advocacy, employment, national policy, India
