Aman Bansal (35), senior manager at Punjab National Bank (PNB), Muzaffarnagar, UP, calls himself “fully blind”, but his zeal to excel knows no barriers. To hone his skills as a manager, Aman was one among the 30 professionals from across the country who participated in a three-day programme on ‘Leadership and Strategic Thinking’ for Visually Impaired (VI) professionals held by the IIM Ahmedabad (IIM-A) recently. In its third edition, the programme was curated by IIM-A in collaboration with the Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad and Dr Lal Path Labs. The Centre for Management of Health Services also extended its support. Visually challenged professionals working in diverse fields including Information Technology (IT), government sector, and banking took part in the event.

The event helped Aman realise how technology is a great enabler in organisations undergoing digital transformation. Dispelling societal notions about people with VI, Aman elaborates, “The general perception about us is that we are good only for clerical and calling jobs. Unless there are mandatory guidelines for the visually challenged, progress will continue to elude us. The programme taught us the importance of leadership roles and the skills needed to pursue senior-level positions in our respective organisations,” he adds.

Link: https://www.educationtimes.com/article/newsroom/99737756/iim-a-fosters-leadership-skills-among-visually-challenged-professionals-to-enhance-perspective-taking-and-persuasion