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December 9, 2013

The Woman of Steel

Women at Work: The Woman of Steel

November 12, 2013, 9:00 AM

Sminu Jindal was in a car accident when she was 11-years-old that meant she has had to use a wheelchair ever since. This didn’t stop her continuing her education and graduating from New Delhi’s prestigious Shri Ram College of Commerce and going on to do a management program from Fore School of Management, at Delhi University.

In 1993, fresh out of college, Ms. Jindal then 22-years-old convinced her father O.P. Jindal to let her join his steel business. He set her the task of turning around a factory that was on the verge of closure, a mission which she successfully accomplished.

Today, Ms. Jindal, is the managing director of Jindal Saw Ltd., India’s biggest manufacturer of steel pipes, running a company with revenues of about $1 billion annually .

In the latest in our “Woman at Work” series, Ms. Jindal spoke to The Wall Street Journal about having to prove herself repeatedly, feeling dumb, and using her reduced mobility to her advantage.

Edited Excerpts:

The Wall Street Journal: What’s the steel industry like for a woman?

Sminu Jindal: It is a very macho industry. If I just put it in a one line, men are allowed to be macho, women are not given a chance but we can be equally macho. When people talk about steel they think women can’t lift steel, but men [at my level] don’t lift it either. We just manage people who lift it.

I honed by skills in the area I was good at, thankfully my family supported that. I concentrated on stuff that I liked the best.

I believe passion runs you. If you have a passion then you can learn a thing, but then if you don’t have a passion, or a flair for that thing, you will never learn no matter how many classes you attend. It will still be your weak point.

WSJ: What are the particular strengths you think women bring to your line of work that perhaps men lack?

Ms. Jindal: I feel we are born as mothers, so we are already preprogramed to nurture people beneath us, sometimes to be like a rough bad mom, which people don’t like. They’d rather have an easy going mom; disciplinarian mom and nurturing at the same time. I think that is one quality that a woman definitely brings on the table.

WSJ: When you first entered the industry in 1993 what was the attitude towards you as a woman? Has this changed now?

Ms. Jindal: I wish it would change now. People no longer say women can’t be in this industry, but women have to prove their capabilities again, and again, and again.

I think women also need to go through a change of mindset in about how we bring up our children. I have two boys; I hope I will do a good job.

WSJ: What have been the challenges for you in making it to the top?

Ms. Jindal: It is a macho business; everybody thought I would not be able to lift steel. I wasn’t able to lift steel, but I handle people well. That was my forte. I have my people happy working with me, they look forward to working with me, they draw inspiration when I am for hours in the plant and they feel as able-bodied they should be more diligently working. So in terms of motivation, I guess, I provide them tons.

WSJ: Does the Indian context affect the experience of women in your business?

Ms. Jindal: Indian or not, women are not encouraged to be on the shop floor. You still see women as mid-level managers…rarely as chief executives…but I am yet to come across five women engineers who work in a plant. That’s what I want as a positive change.

There is no job which a woman can’t do.

WSJ: Have you had to employ particular tactics to make it to this position? What would those be?

Ms. Jindal: I use my wheelchair as an opportunity to spread the message of accessibility. We just need to think and dream big…it happens. That’s something I have worked on and lived my life on, dreaming big that you will be there one day.

WSJ: At what stage do Indian women decide to stop working?

Ms. Jindal: Women do that because family pressures sometimes becomes too much. There is too much expectation at home due to which they are unable to concentrate on their careers. They take sabbaticals 10 years just to make sure that their kids are grown up enough for them to go out again and work. But it is not fair on them because they learn how to be a manager completely when they are at home. They are managing so many fronts with not a battery of people like we have at work.

WSJ: What mistakes do women often make at the workplace?

Ms. Jindal: They try to be super at everything. It’s okay to fail; it’s okay not to achieve this super status at work and super human at home; it’s okay. Don’t put so much pressure on yourself. That’s the biggest learning at the end of it all. It is more important to get up, dust yourself and move again. All the super human stuff, sometimes is self-imposed but it also comes from a lot of peer pressure. Its peer pressure that actually drives people to do certain things that is against their will.

WSJ: Tell us about your best and worst experience as a woman at work.

Ms. Jindal: The worst time is when, in spite of my successes, I have to prove again that I can do it. Pressure always remains. Trust me, sometimes I feel that I was 90% dumber than other people but as a man I would have still been considered a success. Honest. That is the worst feeling.

I believe my best was when I put up a good team that works towards the same objective, with the same synergy and no politics.

WSJ: What is the one thing would you change in India to make it easier for women to succeed?

Ms. Jindal: I want India to be more accessible. The biggest challenge that I face even today is accessibility. Something as tiny as that…traveling from one place to another. There would be so many like me out there if things were accessible for people to travel to places, catch a public transit, go to a place of recreation or work, and lead a happier life. That’s a challenge that I am currently trying to work, Svayam, [part of Sminu Jindal Charitable Trust a New Delhi-based nonprofit working to promote dignity for people with reduced mobility] being one of them.

Source: Wall Street Journal

August 2, 2013

New York City adopts new symbol of Access

Moving forward from a static and ubiquitous “handicapped” symbol – a blue and white logo of a person leaning back in a wheelchair known as the international symbol of access , which has been under fire from disability activists who feel the logo paints disabled people as passive – the New York City has adopted a new international symbol of access.

The Old Symbol

The old symbol of access was approved by the International Standards International Sign of Access adopted by ISO is considered as passive by disability activists

International Sign of Access adopted by ISO is considered as passive by disability activists

Organization (ISO), and the symbol is generally placed wherever access has been improved for people with disability issues. It was first designed by Susanne Koefoed in 1968 – although she didn’t give the symbol a head. That was added a while later by Karl Montan.

The Accessible Icon Project

The project has been pushing for an update to the symbol, one that is more modern, and that depicts a more active figure. According to the group, the original design focused too much on the wheelchair, rather than the person who’s sitting in it, and depicts that person as stiff and passive.

They say this is representative of the treatment that many people with disabilities have faced. “People with disabilities have a long history of being spoken for, of being rendered passive in decisions about their lives,” expresses the the group on its website.

“The old icon, while a milestone in ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) history, displays that passivity: its arms and legs are drawn like mechanical parts, its posture is unnaturally erect, and its entire look is one that make the chair, not the person, important and visible.” it says further. It wants to introduce a new design, one that is active and engaged, with a focus on mobility and movement, but still in line with other ISO-approved pictograms.

The new Icon of access

The new design has been created by designer Sara Hendren, who has engaged in a little guerrilla marketing over the years, including illegally stickering over the original design with this new one.

In the beginning of their project, Sara Hendren and Brian Glenney stuck their new design over existing handicapped signs around Boston.

Hendren’s new design looks more like a person wheeling him or herself independently. Hendren says the real goal of the campaign isn’t just to replace the existing symbol with her new design – it’s to get people thinking.

There’s a much bigger question to ask about who is abled and who is disabled and what we think about dependence and need,” she said. “I’m just trying to start a discussion where we reevaluate our assumptions and our attitudes.’

The new logo is a more active logo designed by activists at Gordon College in eastern Massachusetts. The NYC will start displaying the logo all over the city starting this summer.

“It’s such a forward-moving thing,” said Victor Calise, commissioner of the New York mayor’s Office for People With Disabilities.

The movement initially started when the group behind the new logo started placing its stickers over old handicapped signs around the Gordon College campus, and eventually stickers of the final design were distributed throughout nearby Boston. While getting the logo around has largely been a “stealth operation” up to this point, visibility from the biggest city in the country should help it gain more traction.

That will make a splash,” said Wayne Sailor, co-founder of disabled advocacy group TASH and professor of special education at the University of Kansas. “I predict it will be a real trendsetter.”

New Sign of Access that more "active" — New suggested Signage of Access that is more “active”

Icon Graphic Elements of New Access Sign

1 – Head Position

Head is forward to indicate the forward motion of the person through space. Here the person is the “driver” or decision maker about her mobility.

2 – Arm Angle

Arm is pointing backward to suggest the dynamic mobility of a chair user, regardless of whether or not she uses her arms. Depicting the body in motion represents the symbolically active status of navigating the world.

3 – Wheel Cutouts

By including white angled knockouts the symbol presents the wheel as being in motion. These knockouts also work for creating stencils used in spray paint application of the icon. Having just one version of the logo keeps things more consistent and allows viewers to more clearly understand intended message.

4 – Limb Rendition

The human depiction in this icon is consistent with other body representations found in the ISO 7001 – DOT Pictograms. Using a different portrayal of the human body would clash with these established and widely used icons and could lead to confusion.

5 – Leg Position

The leg has been moved forward to allow for more space between it and the wheel which allows for better readability and cleaner application of icon as a stencil.

Sources: The Verge; LaughingSquid; npr; Accessible Icon Project

July 25, 2013

Svayam hosts side event “Funding Accessible Transport” at ITF 2013

Svayam- National Centre for Inclusive Environments, hosted a side event titled “Funding Accessible Transport” at the Annual Summit of International Transport Forum (ITF) held on 22 May 2013 at Leipzig, Germany.

Background Note

Most of the transport infrastructure to date have been manufactured/ designed without accessible features. The transportation systems in most of the developed countries too, are far from ideal let alone developing nations. Transport plays a crucial role in a nation’s development by providing access to facilities and services.

Enhanced mobility for the vulnerable groups is one of the most important preconditions for achieving sustained growth. The needs of the elderly and disabled should be anticipated in the planning and designing of the transport infrastructure especially in the light of the growing silver population the world over.

To ensure all the transportation systems align with the varied needs of all, there is an urgent need of funding for developing new accessible transport systems as well as retrofitting the existing with the aim of developing accessible, affordable, economically viable, people-oriented and environment-friendly transport systems.

Speakers at the Event

Ms. Abha Negi, Director, Svayam – National Centre for Inclusive Environments, New Delhi, India
Mr. Ramakant Goswami, Hon’ble Minister – Transport, Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, India (couldn’t attend)
Ms. Ann Frye, Director, Ann Frye Ltd, UK
Dr. (Ms.) Lalita Sen, Professor, Texas Southern University, USA
Dr. Manoj Singh, Advisor (Transport), Planning Commission of Govt. of India
Ms. Mary Crass, Policy Head, International Transport Forum (Moderator)

Click here for Photos of the event on Facebook

March 19, 2013

National Tourism Award for Best Disabled Friendly Monument for WHS Fatehpur Sikri

National Tourism Award for Best Disabled Friendly Monument for WHS Fatehpur Sikri

New Delhi, 18 March 2013

Picture of Cover page of Citation Book for National Tourism Awards 2011-2012 — Cover page of Citation Book for National Tourism Awards 2011-12

The Fatehpur Sikri group of monuments in Agra has bagged the prestigious National Tourism Award 2011-12 for “the best maintained and disabled-friendly monument”.

The award was given away at a function here on Monday by President Pranab Mukherjee and presided over by Minister of State for Tourism K. Chiranjeevi.

Six years back the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and Svayam, an NGO working in the field of accessibility, joined hands to make the world heritage sites accessible to all the elderly and the disabled.

It’s a proud moment to share the fact that yet again our efforts have been recognized and feted by not just the stakeholders but the Union Tourism Ministry, Government of India by conferring this award for making the Fatehpur Sikri Group of Monuments accessible.

Picture of Svayam Founder Ms. Sminu Jindal receiving the award at the hands of Hon'ble President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee — Svayam Founder Ms. Sminu Jindal receiving the award at the hands of Hon’ble President of India Mr. Pranab Mukherjee

Svayam conducted an access audit of Fatehpur Sikri and shared the access strategies with ASI for making the heritage site inclusive and welcoming for everybody while addressing different demographic needs. ASI implemented the audit recommendations with Svayam handholding the entire process. The access provisions like ramps, signage’s, accessible toilet units, accessible ticket counters, dedicated parking facility, defined access route etc. make the heritage site of Fatehpur Sikri a well maintained and disabled friendly monument.

an image of Citation for Best Maintained and Disabled Friendly Monument - Fatehpur Sikri Group of Monuments Agra showing a huge ramp constructed at the Buland Darwaza — Citation for Best Maintained and Disabled Friendly Monument – Fatehpur Sikri Group of Monuments Agra

Svayam founder- Sminu Jindal said the awards and recognition highlight the need for making these places accessible and address the leisure requirements of varied demographic needs. “Monuments are common heritage properties and it is heartening to see ASI’s initiatives in carrying out Svayam’s audit reports to make Fatehpur Sikri accessible to people with reduced mobility,” she added.

Here is the media coverage of the event:

(a) Breaking Tourism News : Fatehpur Sikri Group of Monuments bags Best maintained and disabled friendly monument’ with joint efforts of Svayam & ASI

(b) The Hindu : Fatehpur Sikri Monuments bags Tourism Award

February 22, 2013

A new walk of life

Take a pledge an initiative by Svayam (Sminu Jindal S.J. Charitable Trust based at New Delhi, India) which works for promoting dignity for people with reduced mobility.

The humble cause aims to educate people about Reduced Mobility and the difficulty people with Reduced Mobilty barriers persons with reduced mobility go through while accessing the built environment and transport systems/ services in their daily lives. This initiative advocates an enabling & accessible environment for all.

Take a Pledge is a perfect activity to cause the desired effect. It aims to connect with people through social media like Facebook and spread awareness about infrastructural barriers in enjoyment of basic human rights by persons with reduced mobility with people sharing in their personal experiences of the trials and tribulations with reduced mobility due to absence of enabling and inclusive environment around them.

The experiences would help us to locate and check on the barriers around us in community infrastructure and not only suggesting the access solutions to make these places barrier free and accessible to all but also following it up with the concerned public bodies/ agencies/ municipalities.

This initiative aims at not only generating awareness about the trials and tribulations of reduced mobility populace (that includes the elderly, expecting mothers, mothers with new born babies as well as toddlers and the physically challenged) but also mould public and policy makers opinion in favour of public private participation in providing and executing accessibility solutions.

Svayam steps in to fill the gap by way of undertaking audits, identifying problem areas, developing strategies to overcome the same as per international standards of accessibility and universal design and handhold the implementation process to ensure the accurate execution.

“You’re not disabled by the disabilities you have, you are able by the abilities you have.”

So join hands to make this initiative a great stepping stone in reducing accessibility barriers us.

Do your bit – http://www.facebook.com/pages/Svayam-India/108462422591349?sk=app_208195102528120

January 23, 2013

Making homes accessible and Adaptable for Guests with Disabilities

Dear Colleagues,

How to be a good host and make a guest with disabilities or an elderly guest ‘feel at home’ at your home / guest house so that every one can enjoy the holidays together?

Inviting family and friends over for the holidays generally brings up thoughts about the menu, decor, and how to keep everyone occupied and everything spotless. Once a host figures those things out, everything should run smoothly. However, some will be faced with the challenge of how to make special accommodations for loved ones this holiday season. Read here to learn how a few adjustments, accommodations and adaptations that can help everyone feel welcomed and happy:

For Mobility Challenged

Remove all throw rugs and low-lying clutter that could result in falls.
Create a floor plan that allows for maneuverability from serving areas to seating areas, any lounging areas and restrooms. *Rule of thumb: Wheelchairs are usually 24-27 inches wide – Walk with one arm extended throughout aisles to ensure enough space.
Have hand sanitizer available, most bathroom counters also do not allow for easy wheelchair access.
Extended stays? Pick up a shower seat and install a removable shower head for easy bathing.
Consider a folding ramp to negotiate few steps or level changes in the house. The suitcase ramp is the most versatile of products and can serve as a threshold over indoor or outdoor steps.

Alzheimer’s or Dementia

Engage them! Answer their questions in a positive way; don’t make anyone feel bad for not remembering.
Names and recent events may not be easily recalled or remembered at all. This may mean recapping a milestone event that the person was even there to witness.
Speak with the caregiver to learn what their emotional triggers or stressors may be. If someone with dementia becomes upset, distraction with a fun activity can be a lifesaver.
Lock doors and block off staircases. Put up a sign to direct people to bathrooms.
Try to have a bedroom or quiet space prepared, people with dementia may get restless and decide to take a nap.

Developmental Delays

Resist the temptation to offer unsolicited advice to parents.
Do not undermine the child by addressing the parent with questions like, “Is Deepak excited for dinner?” Instead ask Deepak.
Understand that parents need to stick to their child’s routines as closely as possible; prepare a place suitable for quiet times.

Visually Impaired

When introducing yourself, give a standard hug or handshake or a verbal greeting like “Namaste” with folded hands but be sure to say your name as you do so.
While introducing someone else, mention what direction they are in, “This is Anju Auntie to my left”.
If dashing out of a conversation to grab a pie out of the oven, remember to say so!
Provide detailed verbal fore-warnings of any inclines or steps that the guest may incur.
When showing a blind guest to the table, placing their hand on the chair and allowing them to take it from there is often enough.
If there is food on the table for serving, explain the location of the food by clock measurements, “Chapati’s at your 12 o’ clock.”
Speaking louder is unnecessary unless the person is also hard of hearing.

Deaf or Hard of Hearing

No need to yell or make dramatic mouth movements while speaking.
Keep eye contact with the hearing impaired guest during conversation, NOT their interpreter/translator.
Keep a text-ready cell phone or note pad and pen handy for when the interpreter isn’t around.
Learn a few things in Sign Language, like “Welcome”, “Eat”, “Enjoy”.
Make name cards explaining what each dish is and key ingredients.

Source: PRWeb

January 20, 2013

Where the mind is without fear

January 20, 2013

Abhilasha Ojha | New Delhi

Recognised by the World Economic Forum as an under-40 leader, Sminu Jindal has not let her wheelchair limit her life, work or spirit, finds Abhilasha Ojha

When we meet Sminu Jindal at her plush residence in Delhi’s posh Anand Niketan, it’s almost like meeting a friend. Having met her almost a decade ago, when she was announcing the launch of her portal Svayam to take up the cause of the differently-abled, I realise it is time to renew our acquaintance.

Jindal, of course, has come a long way. At that time she was still single (“actually, I’d started seeing this guy who is now my husband,” she smiles), on a wheelchair but very spirited, very positive, very lively. “I had a surname which in itself was — still is — a brand but I continuously wondered how others, who were physically challenged like me, managed to survive in a country where people are largely insensitive to the needs of the differently abled,” she says, as we sip coffee together.

Much has changed for Jindal since the time I’d met her a decade ago. She’s a married woman now, with two lovely little kids (Arjan and Anav) and a husband on whom she dotes (“I call him my Sai ka prasad and thanks to him I have two amazing children,” she says). She’s also a working woman who was recently given the FICCI Woman Achiever award. Additionally, the World Economic Forum has also declared her one of the top 200 global achievers, under 40, in the world.

Even as I shift uncomfortably on her sleek couch, wondering how to speak to her about her life and trials as a physically-challenged person, Jindal smiles generously, waves her hand while sitting in a wheelchair, and announces, “Sure, go ahead, ask whatever you want.” That’s her spirit: not shying away from circumstances that left her wheelchair-bound for life, but instead, using it as a means to let others benefit from her experience.
That’s the reason why Svayam, she says, was revived. From being a mere portal, it started tremendous offline activities, sensitising the government to include facilities for not just the disabled but also for the elderly, women and those with other disabilities. The results are already showing. Jindal feels that the government is now far more sensitive about introducing disabled-friendly outfits in sectors that affect the day-to-day lives of people: “Most in the private sector need to learn a lot,” she adds.

Even as she starts narrating episodes to support her point of view, one wonders how she derives the strength to tackle every day, every minute of her life with so much ease and dignity? Her voice quivers for the first time as she adds softly, “Where is the dignity when you have to be manually lifted to reach your seat in the airplane?” She had a rough experience last year with a private airline which refused to provide an aisle chair for her and didn’t allow her to carry her own wheelchair, which could be easily folded as hand-baggage.

While we, as a society, owe a response to Jindal and people like her, the young woman, nattily dressed in black trousers, bright green top, smart black jacket and bright pink scarf, is busy sensitising government agencies and hopes that, one day, every corner of the country will be friendly “not just for the disabled but also for everyone who is coping with issues of reduced mobility — the elderly, expectant mothers, mothers with little children and others”.

Though Svayam has been invited by civic agencies, including the NDMC and the education ministry (“We’ll start by making some government schools accessible to differently-abled children,” says Jindal) to work on developing facilities for the disabled, the organisation, in its capacity as “access consultant” to the Archaeological Survey of India, is already executing work at different heritage sites, including in Delhi, Agra and Goa. “We’ve undertaken access audits for the Qutb Minar,” says Jindal. “We have also been invited by hospitality giants like the ITC and Hyatt to incorporate accessibility in making their built and social environments barrier-free and accessible to all,” says Jindal, adding that the first time she visited the Red Fort was when Svayam had made it accessible for the disabled.

In addition to working round-the-clock for Svayam, Jindal, who has been wheelchair-bound since she was 11 (“I met with a car accident in Jaipur,” she tells us), is managing director of Jindal SAW, a Rs 7,800-crore company, also one of the largest producers of SAW pipes — used widely in the energy sector for the transportation of oil and gas. She says that she manages to divide her time efficiently between work and home. There’s proof of that.

She’s made superb collages of her son’s paintings, even a quilt of sorts, sewn on to which are her children’s little booties, their first baby clothes and other items that, she says, “cannot be given away”. An artist herself, Jindal’s typical day includes one hour of yoga and cardio exercises, lots of work in office, digging information on crystal therapy (“I swear by it,” she says) and giving constant feedback to different organisations who approach her.

When we meet, she’s just back from a long day at work. Her children have returned from their Taekwondo class (“my husband’s explained to them that their mom walks on wheels,” she smiles) and she grins indulgently at them while our photographer clicks them. “I never thought I’d be married one day with kids,” she confesses, laughing when her babies interrupt our interview to plant firm kisses on her cheeks.
When we leave, I request her to come to our office some time. “Sure, is there a ramp for me to reach the office door?” she enquires. No, there isn’t, but we walk away confident that she’ll find a way to open those doors too.

Source: Business Standard