G20’s Future of Work Exhibition Features How Learning Disabilities Key to Driving Innovation in India

‘Future of Work’ Exhibition, a part of the ongoing G20 3rd Education Working Group meeting was inaugurated by Shri Dharmendra Pradhan, Hon’ble Minister of Education and Skill Development & Entrepreneurship at the CSIR-IMMT Campus in Bhubaneswar on April 23, 2023.

The Hon’ble Minister visited ChangeInkk Foundation’s immersive exhibition on “Inclusion for Innovation” which highlights the contributions of trailblazers with learning disabilities, along with their unique strengths and talents which makes them the ideal future-ready workforce. Shri Pradhan, engaged with the ChangeInkk team and expressed interest in knowing more about the strengths and challenges of people with learning disabilities.

For the first time in the world, through cutting-edge emerging technology, visitors can experience how such individuals struggle with reading & explore how their strengths have birthed countless innovations & entrepreneurial ventures- from the first light bulb, telephone, aircraft, assembly-line manufactured car, and prenatal ultrasound, among many others – shaping modern society. It is a lesser-known fact that 40% of self-made millionaires are dyslexic, and just ten of the companies founded or co-founded by dyslexics have contributed to over $1 trillion in revenue in 2020.

The ‘Inclusion for Innovation’ exhibit throws light on the link between learning disabilities and innovation, through a variety of interactive games and simulations using Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Immersion (VI). In addition to AR/ VI simulations, the exhibit includes a live projection wall which spotlights the contributions of dyslexic innovators throughout history, such as Albert Einstein, Alexander Graham Bell, Thomas Edison, the Wright brothers, and Henry Ford.

While such pioneers of science, technology, industry, art and architecture are plenty, India is poised to harness the skills and competencies of this future-ready workforce by embracing inclusion, bringing the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s clarion call of ‘Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas-Sabka Prayaas’ to life. In India, learning disabilities were officially first recognised by the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act (2016). Following suit, in 2020, the National Education Policy underlined the importance of inclusion and mainstreaming of these individuals from foundational learning to higher education through inclusive learning environs.  

ChangeInkk is pioneering interventions in the country to create pathways of success for that people with learning disabilities, starting from school to adulthood, where they are not only independent and flourishing but are also driving growth and innovation, working to their fullest potential.

As a parent who has been supporting her 15-year-old dyslexic child, Noopur Jhunjhunwala, Co-founder and Trustee of ChangeInkk Foundation said, “I know that the journeys of these individuals are filled with frustration and despair, especially among parents who don’t know how to support their children and are constantly told that your child is a slow learner, when it is the opposite. These kids have an amazing power – they think differently, and we need to harness their capabilities to enable them to change our world.”

The ’Inclusion for Innovation’ exhibit will be a powerful tool for shedding light on the lived experiences of the community of persons with learning disabilities and encourage more inclusive perspectives on the future of work and education. After all, the next big innovator could be the next big dyslexic innovator who comes from India.