 This newsletter highlights disability inclusion through art and employment. It features Wells Fargo’s Inclusion 360 events showcasing musicians and artists with disabilities, Nehal Tiwari’s successful pebble art business, and a Tamil Nadu workshop focused on boosting skill development and hiring for persons with disabilities. | | Music and Art drives Inclusion at Wells Fargo | At Wells Fargo’s Inclusion 360 event, inclusion came wearing a creative hat, bringing together music, art and artists with disabilities across Bangalore and Hyderabad. In Bangalore, the three-piece instrumental Sunadha Band set the mood with a live performance, before caricature artist Karan Arora took over with his art. People began pulling out their phones, sharing pictures of their loved ones and asking Karan to bring those faces to life too. In Hyderabad, keyboardist Anupam Kunapuli performed live on stage while artist Uday Kiran showcased his work at a caricature art stall. His pre-made artworks, drew lot of attention, where people stopped, looked closely and spoke about the feeling his art evoked, before buying them. One visitor described it as “an unexplained beautiful feeling,” something they couldn’t quite put into words, but could certainly feel. | Nehal turns simple pebbles into thoughtful gifts | Diagnosed with autism at the age of two, Nehal Tiwari often found it difficult to communicate and express herself while growing up. But colours gave her a different way to express what words couldn’t. Art brough her a sense of calm and during a workshop in college, she was introduced to stone painting. Today, Nehal transforms ordinary pebbles into vibrant works of art, painting everything from landscapes and animals to gods and cartoons. From large corporate orders to small personalised gifts, Nehal’s painted pebbles have found their way into many homes and workplaces. Her recent order came from a department head at a private company, who purchased two of her beautifully painted stones with Ganesha on it as a gift for her family, entering into a new house. | Workshop in Tamil Nadu to enhance hiring of persons with disabilities | The Welfare of Differently Abled Persons Department (WDAPD), Government of Tamil Nadu, in association with the Tamil Nadu Skill Development Corporation (TNSDC), Centre of Excellence for Autism, and TN RIGHTS SPIU, organised a two-day stakeholder consultation on strengthening skill development and employment opportunities for persons with disabilities. The workshop brought together NGOs, special schools, and employers, working in inclusive spaces to share their experience. Representing Atypical Advantage, we shared our hiring stats and discussed operational challenges that candidates and employers encounter through the employment journey. | Government Simplifies Exempted FASTag Guidelines for Divyangjan Vehicles | The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways issued revised guidelines for issuing exempted FASTags for vehicles owned or used by Divyangjan (Persons with Disabilities). Effective October 2, 2026, the new rules eliminate the hassle of mandatory annual renewals and streamline verification procedures, ensuring smoother, toll-free transit across national highways for commuters with disabilities. (Source: The Hindu) | Atypical Advantage is India’s largest livelihood platform for Persons with Disabilities(PWD). Whether it is a singer looking for a show, a visual artist looking to sell their paintings, or job seekers with disabilities looking for career opportunities, it bridges the supply & demand side inefficiencies so that Persons with Disabilities can earn a dignified income. We have a large pool of 55,000+ talents with disabilities and have worked with 500+ corporates within a short span of 5 years. We were also featured on Shark Tank Season 2 and were declared the winner of the prestigious National Startup Award for Social Impact, and the National Award for Best Organization empowering persons with disabilities in 2024, conferred by the Union Government. For more information, visit our website here. | |
