With a view to empower visually impaired working professionals with the skills needed for leadership roles, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIMA) inaugurated the third edition of its specially curated programme on ‘Leadership and Strategic Thinking’- at its campus on February 17, 2025.The inauguration ceremony saw the presence of Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director of IIMA; Professor Satish Deodhar, Dean (Faculty) at IIMA; Professor Rajesh Chandwani, Faculty Chair for the programme; Mr Rajesh Singh, Head-CSR at Dr Lal PathLabs; and Mr Bhushan Punani, General Secretary at Blind People’s Association (BPA), Ahmedabad.
The unique three-day programme is organised by the Centre for Management of Health Services (CMHS), IIMA in collaboration with Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad and Dr Lal Path Labs. This edition of the programme witnessed participation from 30 visually challenged professionals from across India working in diverse fields including Information Technology (IT), government sector, and banking.
Presenting the inaugural address, Professor Bharat Bhasker, Director, IIMA, urged and motivated the participants to work towards uplifting visually impaired individuals who lack access to opportunities, so that they too can obtain leadership positions. “Each and every individual is born with immense talent and any talent lost is a loss to humanity as a whole. Our outlook should be that everyone should feel included in society andshould be able to lead others in becoming proud members of the society.”
Furthermore, Professor Bhasker said, “We must create a society which provides a level playing field and equal opportunities for all members of society. Over these three days, I hope you refine your leadership skills and emerge as inspiring leaders in society.” He exhorted the participants to take the initiative and work towards changing the established societal norms which restrict the inclusion of visually impaired individuals in different walks of life.
Mr Bhushan Punani, General Secretary of Blind People’s Association, Ahmedabad, congratulated IIMA for successfully conducting the programme for the past three years and highlighted the growing career opportunities for people with disabilities under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016. He stated, “This programme is a significant milestone in developing leadership in the field of vision impairment. I am glad to see that we have many leaders here as participants who are holding commanding positions in their organisations. However, we need more people like them to convince society that these people are equally competent, motivated, and can perform like anyone else.”
The programme is lined up with multiple engagingsessions by IIMA faculty members on various aspects of leadership and management such as, ‘Leader vs Manager’, ‘Financial Reporting & Financial Decision Making’, ‘Managing Digital Transformation’, ‘Artificial Intelligence & Technology’, ‘Mindfulness & Emotional Stability’, and ‘Building Marketing Strategies’, among others. They will also get to learn about the success stories of people with visual impairment.
Speaking about the programme objectives, Professor Rajesh Chandwani, Faculty Chair for the programme said, “The programme focuses on developing a greater understanding of various functions and aspects of management, including self-growth, which will equip the participants with the required knowledge and skills to gradually move up the growth ladder and pursue senior- level positions in the in their respective organisations.”
Talking about her expectations from the event, a participant Ms Heena Patel, a physiotherapist based in Bhuj, Gujarat, said, “I want to change the perception of people towards visually impaired individuals, and I am looking forward to all the learning during these three days.”
Another participant, Mr Dilip Chauhan, Vice Principal, Kendra Vidyalaya, Vadodara, stated, “I hope to learn the skills required to handle a difficult situation at work, how to adapt, and make society reflect on visually challenged people.”