Maharashtra’s First ITI for Persons with Disabilities Gets a Green Signal from the Cabinet 

In a landmark decision from the Maha Cabinet, Project Mumbai, signed a MoU with the Government of Maharashtra to set up India’s first exclusive ITI Skilling Centre for Persons with Disabilities. The MoU exchange took place in a momentous ceremony graced by— Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, Deputy CMs Ajit Pawar and Eknath Shinde, and was supported by Maharashtra’s Minister for Skill Development, Mangal Prabhat Lodha. Atypical Advantage is proud to serve as the implementation partner for this pioneering effort. We hope this pilot initiative scales across all of India. Can you spot our founder Vineet in the picture with the cabinet?

Hilton: Where Inclusion Speaks in Sign Language 🤟 

Something beautiful unfolded at Hilton Bangalore this week. Our Head of Blue Collar Hiring, Laharee, along with Deepak, our passionate Mobilizer for Inclusive Hiring, conducted a Sign Language workshop to help non-signers communicate better with their hearing-impaired colleagues. But here’s where the magic truly happened — as soon as the hearing-impaired employees got to know about the session, they didn’t just join in, they volunteered to co-facilitate the training! One of the most joyful moments was learning sign names — where each person is given a unique name based on their personality or physical traits by a deaf trainer. The room was full of laughter, connection, and new understanding. What was meant to be a one-time workshop became the seed for many more to come.

"Thank you for the session today! Got a lot of positive feedback from participants," shared Yaman Bishnoi, HR at Hilton.

Here’s to building a culture where inclusion isn’t an initiative — it’s a way of life.

E&Y: A Space for Art with No Judgements 

When E&Y reached out, they were excited about both our doodling and caricature workshops, so we decided to combined the magic. The session was led by Karan Arora, an artist with hearing impairment. While he couldn’t speak, his presence definitely did. Dressed in sharp formals, Karan walked into the room like he owned it. What followed was a high-energy, hands-on session with 30+ enthusiastic participants sketching, laughing, learning, and surprising themselves with what they could create. But the highlight? The caricature session right after, where Karan invited participants one by one and sketched them live in under 5 minutes!

"One participant told me at the start that they had no experience in doodling. But by the end, they confidently showcased a beautiful final piece. Seeing their excitement and pride made me feel the workshop truly empowered them," said Karan, when asked about his favorite moment.

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 30,000+ talents with disabilities and have worked with 400+ corporates within a short span of 4 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.