26-year-old Punam Ohal is a visually impaired resident of Pune, Maharashtra. In February, she appeared for the Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) clerk exam and cleared it. On selection for the post of clerk at a nationalised bank, she was asked to produce an online disability certificate, despite having a hard copy of the same. To do this, she was asked to apply for a Unique Disability Identification (UDID) card on the Swavlamban website and provide the hospital with a printout of the form.
The civil hospital assigns only one day for all those who have applied for a UDID card or an online disability certificate. After completing the required procedure at the hospital, it takes around three to six months to obtain the online disability certificate. Since the whole process was long, tedious and time consuming, Punam was worried about losing her job opportunity. For this reason, her husband contacted the Eyeway helpline on her behalf and shared their concern. The counselor discussed with the respective bank authorities regarding the matter and came up with an immediate solution. The counselor asked Punam to apply for a UDID card and explained its necessary steps. After submitting the online application, they were asked to attach the UDID registration number along with the disability certificate. With this in hand, she was able to begin her work at the bank.
Punam also faced difficulty when she was assigned to the branch in Mumbai, which was far away from home. The counselor provided her with the Department of Personnel & Training guidelines which state that persons with disabilities should be posted nearest to their native place. She sent a letter to the bank authorities along with these guidelines, thereby, allowing her to work at their branch in Pune.