Ranendra Kumar Dhar

Desk of Ranendra Kumar Dhar BUISINESS PROPOSAL OF NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MEDIA FOR DISABLED[ N.I.M.D ] Introduction This is a unique business proposal for the most unique project in the field of national media towards a very marginalized , under represented part of the population , namely the disabled in every segment of the media - newspapers , broadcasting networks , internet , radio, advertising , live shows , films & so forth who are both away from main stream life and main stream programming of the national media. Even the presentation of the concept of such a business proposal is rare– I will answer just two questions – WHY & HOW ? Once you ask the why of a thing and the how of it , then everything becomes very clear in it’s perspective , purpose , vision and the goals to achieve . WHY ? Background Idea of India in the world : India is seen as a multi-lingual , multi- racial, multi- religious , multi- sectarian , multi – cultural country in this world portraying the beautiful idea : unity in diversity and also diversity in unity from the dawn of civilization . The world acknowledges this unique fact and admires this multiplicity in all it’s forms. 1 Portals of Indian Constitution : The constitution lays out the preamble of our republic along with our fundamental rights and one of them is equality for our citizens in all it’s gamut – education , health, employment , information & so forth . Inclusion : Inclusiveness paves the way for a healthy society in any part of the world - inclusive growth , inclusive participation of it’s citizens is extremely important to the build up of any nation and this was told in bold terms at the very beginning of this year to all the global participating countries , namely January 2015 by our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi at the Vibrant Gujarat Global Summit to echo inclusive growth for India. Not a new Idea The idea is not at all new in the field of disability , take for instance the vocational training imparted to the disabled – spastic and mentally challenged making greeting cards , candles ; deaf and dumb working on printing press , lathe machines ; blind producing audio books , mobility impaired doing all sorts of desk works & so forth . Yes, you have also seen disabled operating telephone booths on their own. So, why not take them to do higher tasks from these simple jobs like the one I am suggesting in the executing media tasks when opportune training is given to them professionally . It is a progressive idea and not a new one in the basic meaning of work culture for anyone to make a valuable contribution to the society . Why not us in the media in a big way ? 2 Yes, the cynics will say –we are in the media but in what way ? Certainly, you are right but only in one place – we can see , hear or read about the disabled in their programs as contributors which we term as disability specific output programs and nothing beyond that is the role of national media today . But here , we are asking a totally different question – WHY , the disabled are not in the main stream programming like others , namely the nondisabled population who also enjoy all the activities of main stream life also which is called mainstreaming . Mainstreaming is the process by which governments and other stakeholders address the barriers that exclude persons with disabilities from participating equally with others in any activity and service intended for the general public, such as education, health, employment & so forth . Why this exclusion of the disabled in main stream programming of the media ? What is the meaning of main stream programming of the media whose main and only benefactor are the non disabled who are splashed everywhere in advertising campaigns, newspapers, television shows – entertainment, live shows, news, features, documentaries , reality shows etc ; radio programs , films , consumer & promotional events & so forth ? Do the disabled find any place in the main stream programming of the media – the answer is a big NO . You can find them marginally [ just very limited space is given to them in the media , mostly they are absent ] in their own programs or issues related to them which we term as disability specific output programs 3 4 So, why we are not in the national media in all it’s paraphernalia like the non disabled as briefly described in the above paragraph – seen everywhere ? The existing system in the national media Let us start with the portrayal of the disabled in the national media. It is simply a stereo – type portrayal which has been carried for very long in the media { either they are portrayed as super heroes , objects of pity / charity , objects of laughter / mimicry etc – Truly , what the media portrays is the perspective that the non disabled community gets through its stereo- type projection going on for ages globally which none can deny and more so in developing countries like India . So the definite absence , creating barriers – physical , behavioral attitudes leading to social discrimination all add to the woes of the disabled for lack of concrete initiatives in the media industry. The national media has failed miserably in this aspect as per above – broadcasters, program makers, viewers, anchors, editors, advertising campaigners, HR personnel , technical staff , commissioning editors , news departments etc; have not made the presence of the disabled in main stream programming – WHY ? Is this not a harsh reality ?Do we not need any corrective measures ? 4 5 Rationale of Policy So, both a new look and a new policy has to be put in place. For some time now , in U.S.A , Australia and some European countries have started to build up disabled confident companies / organizations to ensure a viable & sustainable disabled work force . What does a disabled confident company mean –to encourage entrepreneurism, making good business sense to be making profits , churning a vibrant work force & install a higher sense of confidence amongst the disabled & other stake holders in the industry to be a part of the main stream work force for the good cause of nation building as a part of skilled development . It is no charity but pure commercially profitable businesses where the employers of disabled people see improved organizational performance which are well sustained in the competitive market of today. Example : In U.S.A - National employment studies, including a 30-year analysis by DuPont de Nemours, show that persons with disabilities have equal or higher performance ratings, better retention rates and less absenteeism . Disability confident employers build sustainable innovative workforces and create more individualized services for all customers. They also improve brand reputation . Examples : In Singapore , A Singapore Computer Systems Ltd subsidiary, Trusted Hub, is currently one of the largest employers of disabled people and they have found that the disabled to be very dedicated to their work, very focused and very efficient . 5 6 In the republic of Korea : Kookmin Bank hired more than 100 persons with disabilities. “We realized most of the job applicants with disabilities have far more potential and talent than those without disabilities,” said the Bank’s human resources manager, Lee Young-ree. These are some very few examples of disabled confident companies but there are many more to prove the point I am making and which is being taken up world wide in a phased and gradual manner. Not only that disability confident businesses reinforce social cohesion and will benefit from increased economic competitiveness. And if you don’t do that , International Labour organization and the World Health Organization have proved statistically for over three decades across the world and more so in the developing countries ,this creates a vicious socio-economic cycle of poverty for the disabled. The risk of poverty continues to rise for those with disabilities, despite the fact that it is falling for others. Living standards for disabled people are falling even as incomes for the rest of the population rise. Hence , a rational policy to have media disabled confident companies and why should not the Government of India & major Corporations ( MNC or big firms ) undertake this task to begin a platform actively empower disabled people as leaders, entrepreneurs in the national media both for main stream programming and main stream life which involves providing services for the disabled people in the same places as services for the non – disabled especially for the fourth pillar of democracy – media . 6 7 HOW ? Proposed policy The policy is intended to put into place the best practice by the media industry to deliver and to enforce the following ( listed below ) that the business rationale is understood by one and all – television channels, radio, newspapers , advertiser campaigners, audio-visual companies, film makers & so forth to create disabled confident companies as explained above so that the disabled are in the main stream programming of the media and not excluded as of today in the main stream program making. It will involve all the stake holders – employers, producers, main stream program makers, viewers, broadcasters, human resource managers, commissioning editors , audio-visual industry etc in order to make your organization disability confident so that it is inclusive in program making for the disabled to be in the main stream and not just in the disability specific output programs as they stand today in our national media. The salient features of this proposed policy to improve and enhance matters in all the segments of the media are the following : Increase the presence of disabled both on air and on screen  Increase the number of disabled people in all areas of the workforce of the media so that they are adequately present in the programming making areas , then they will not be left out in the main stream programming of the media .  Increase access to services on and off air to provide the maximum information in this regard on a routine mandatory basis. 7 8  Ensuring to produce & promote policies, action plans to make the above commitments viable to have them executed in a time bound period along with legal and penal clauses if not done so. Based upon the above policy , an infra structure is required to implement them . Infrastructure To execute the above policy , it is proposed to set up the NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF MEDIA FOR DISABLED [ N.I.M.D ] whose main features are enlisted below :- Vision : The vision of N.I.M.D is profoundly based upon the salient features of the proposed policy . To start with, it would be a disabled confident media organization bringing the disabled into the main stream programming of the media , creating a viable media work force for all the stake holders - producers, broadcasters, editors, program makers , editors , viewers, employers etc ; so as to increase the presence of the disabled off and on air , providing all the information to these services , make action plans , produce policies & so forth for a total media orientation of the disabled . These would be guiding principles of N.I.M.D. in it’s far sighted vision for the disabled in the national media. - Operational design / Structure :Briefly is presented the structure of N.I.M.D at the first glance : Who would be the target group of disabled people - ? The less or mildly severed would be included and not the severely disabled ones. 8 9 Inclusion – a certain proportion of the non – disabled would also be a part of N.I.M.D. This would help the media industry professionally because when the disabled have already worked with the normal people to do various projects in N.I.M.D. It would be very competitive, compatible, professionals churning out good business sense keeping in view of the rationale of disabled confident companies and making commercially profit individuals as a viable sustained work force. Tools for training – in the methodology for training , various tools would be used to impart professionalism and accountability which is must for the success of any program undertaken. Specific tools / aids for the disabled : Once the target group of disabled have been categorized & established, then N.I.M.D will use the very best , latest Information and Communication Technologies ( ICT ) for the disabled is strong & effective for the disabled with the other non-disabled learners to handle the various training programs & practical projects . This is a must essential part before the training program starts for different media tasks when we know that the communication is effective and valuable for it’s success. Upto date , modern technology , equipment & software of media – whatever is being used by the media industry , those very infrastructure would be available for training & practice in N.I.M.D. Not only that , a research department would be in place for future developments that take place in the media both in the country + across the world as technology becomes obsolete & outdated along with time ; for example in the electronic broadcast industry , the rate of obsolesce is pretty high and I can personally vouch for it as I belong to this part of the profession for almost three decades. 9 10 - Training Programs : Whatever courses are going on in the field of mass communication by others including a few who give a specialized diploma in media & disability , we here in N.I.M.D will synergize the efforts of others also to make a compact , integrated package for the media industry to churn out the very best disabled professionals that nobody has seen till today as they were never empowered in the national media. Keeping in view of the rationale for disabled confident companies& organizations , a recent trend followed worldwide to create such bodies are based upon the guidelines United Nations Convention of Rights of Persons with Disabilities(UNCRPD) will be the core of these programs. The foundation of this program recognizes that disability is not inherent in the individual as a personal problem or deficit, but rather, is a set of physical and social barriers that constrains people in every manner to inter-react with them . Mixed bag of courses – some courses like Journalism, TV, film, radio ,advertising, photography / video production / audio production, public relations , documentary, graphics , internet are common to all mass communication courses will be an integral part of N.I.M.D also so that the students can be main streamed in programming . The other part would be on disability specific output programs so that the disabled can well know the format & practices of media management in the industry . 10 11 Outline of disability specific output programs is as follows :- Understand concepts of different types of disabilities in different modes of media perspectives& format . Topics covered will include: • The various models of media representation of disability • The impact of stigma in mass media imagery • Disability media, i.e. content created by and for people with disabilities Briefs of specific details of the different modes of media representation with regard to the persons of disability and other disability related issues are given below . Journalism ( News ) - analyze the stories, compare and contrast them in the entire medium – newspapers & television news channels to find out your answer based on facts . How do the mainstream media represent the disability issue or the person with a disability? The overarching question to answer is how do these news stories tell their stories and represent disability? Documentary / Short films / Special programs / Newspaper features – same way as done for the news section to find out the reality check and then undertake the plan of action . Radio programs – same way as described above like in the case of news, documentaries etc ; but here , I will present an example to follow . One plus one is a Chinese radio station started in March 2006 which is staffed entirely by disabled people { eight of them blind and two have locomotor disability } . It is broadcast over 75 Chinese radio stations covering about 300 million people as valuable listeners.. They have also an online radio station for the disabled.. Now , they have also non-disabled staff . A shining example of disabled confident organization. 11 12 Disability Images – print / electronic media ( TV ) / feature films Images that are despised by the disability community and ones that stigmatize people with disabilities through the stereo - type approach. How does the general public get influenced by these images? How do people with disabilities influenced by them? The images of people with disabilities you see on television / films / newspapers today that are either problematic or that , they are positive and empowering ? Advertising – as used above , the method of inquiry would suggest that the disabled are missing from the vast section of our advertising . Are they not our customers like the non-disabled who have the same likes and dislikes, views and ideas , talents and weaknesses as everyone else , then why the gap in main stream advertising ? The campaigners can include them so as to benefit our social diversity and not exclude them. Multi media – take for instance accessible website design . The real truth is that all websites need to be accessible to the disabled but they are not. Web designers can do the following – avoid flashing or moving graphics ; can provide an option to view as unformatted text only , using a voice synthesizer or print in Braille , provide a feedback mechanism for accessibility to improve the services . Constituents of new media‐ Blogs, Micro Blogs, Wikis, Constituents of social media‐ Facebook, Twitter, Blogger , YouTube, Skype etc ; On the blogs/social media - How do or don’t they fit the disability issues? How do they reflect the different perspectives of the disabled and also using social media to engage public awareness and participation ? 12 13 The other topics would be on human rights and social justice for the disabled , disability laws , culture and disability & so forth to get a grasp of the realities facing the disabled so that they are well equipped . Teaching strategies include: Lectures Discussions Student Presentations / Projects Panel discussions Views &analysis Visits to television channels / newspaper organization / production houses / advertisement firms & so forth PRACTCALS / PROJECTS : as per the training programs a) Disabled friendly Website Design b) Disabled friendly Advertisements c) Disabled friendly Documentaries d) Disabled friendly Films e) Audio-described films / Images/Visuals of Multimedia. f) Captioning of films/News in Indian Sign Language ( ISL ) . Commercial ventures : N.I.M.D would be a full fledged production house to co-relate the practical training imparted in order to get orders from the market like any other production house on professional basis . Every sort of commercial production projects would be taken up in various media fields like television , films, radio , advertising , internet & so forth. Not only that N.I.M.D would sell all it’s commercial products like jingles, films, documentaries etcto gather revenue for the institution ( return on 13 14 investments - R.O.I ). This would be supported by a marketing department to look into the profit sharing for N.I.M.D. Other infrastructure : Studio , auditorium , conference room , hostel etc ; please note I have the lay out plan which are disabled friendly for these infrastructure. These also include ramps , waiting areas for the disabled , parking , reception , doorways, seating arrangement, transport & so forth to add to these facilities keeping in view of the different types of disability requirements . Placements : It would be forthcoming as they would be provided internship both outside and within N.I.M.D . Hence the placements would be to give fair employment in the media industry , government and other bodies. So, the success rate would be pretty high in terms of placements. Constitution : It would be headed by a board panel who would have members of the government , media fraternity , IT , rehabilitation experts & so forth hailing from related backgrounds. The board panel would be headed by the Chairman or C.E.O . This is preliminary constitution framework as prescribed in this business proposal note. IF THIS BUSINESS PROPOSAL IS APPROVED , THEN A DETAILED PROJECT REPORT ( D.P.R ) WOULD BE SUBMITTED IN THIS REGARD . SUMMING UP As this is only a business proposal have briefly touched upon the salient points but certainly , a skilled man force would be generated for the media industry. 14 15 Thanking you, Ranendra Kumar Dhar [ R.K.DHAR ] Proposal Writer 15