Mental Health Foundation (MHF) is committed to ensuring the complete participation of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the community. Valued work role and employment is one of the most important ways to community societal participation and having a meaningful and dignified life for the adults with disabilities.

Since 2023, MHF with collaboration with Keystone Institute India are working on Customised Employment project to create access to individualized, integrated and community based employment opportunities for individuals with disability.

Customised Employment not only cultivates the skills, talents and interests of the employment seeker, but also explores the unmet needs of the employer and thus creates the opportunity to closely match the interests and talents with the workforce needed.

Our employment specialists Dr. Manisha Bhattacharya and Ranjana Chakraborty spend a considerable amount of time with the candidates to explore their interests, contributions and ideal conditions for successful employment. They also meet potential employer to understand their unmet needs and then job matching is done.

Through detailed planning, negotiation with the employer and provision of systematic instructions during the onboarding and training period, they ensured that the needs of both the employer and employment seeker are met.

MHF is currently working with 8 individuals and 2 of them are placed in jobs of their interest areas- learning, growing and enjoying everyday. Recently, another candidate has started her internship.

Adult with disabilities benefit from this personalized and strength-driven plan wherein the individual’s interests and strengths are explicitly recognized. These contributions are presented to the employers who value these qualities in their business. Customised Employment is showing us the way to include people in the mainstream and have a valued, meaningful and purposeful life in society, rather than continuing in a segregated setup.