Being ambitious for the sector, EnAble India has created “The Soapstone Fellowship” to scale sustainable positive change in the lives of persons with disabilities. This effort will require diverse and qualified human capital to commit to the cause and contribute to the impact.

The Fellowship program is designed in three stages:

1. Pre-Fellowship: Search & Selection.
2. Fellowship: Supporting a cohort of fellows across 12 months with structured program.
3. Post-Fellowship: Career Pathways & Networking.

STAGE 1: Search & Selection is the process to identify the future changemakers among you. You will influence the disability sector at large through various means such as reaching the unreached, building a sustainable ecosystem for livelihoods of persons with disability, connecting the dots and bridging gaps, creating new livelihood models, and so on. Though the mission at hand is large, urgent and challenging, you will continue to work your way through adversity to reach your goal. Your deep sense of responsibility and vision guide you to use the Fellowship as a launchpad for your contributions.

STAGE 2: A cohort of 15 Fellows will enter into a year long fulltime program where you will acquire an enhanced perspective about the employability and employment of persons with disabilities while applying their business intelligence and domain expertise to the sector.  With a blend of classroom teaching, individualized mentoring and hands-on learning across different programs at EnAble India, the Fellowship promises an experiential and reflective journey for you. The first batch of the Fellowship is scheduled to take place from October 2021 to September 2022. [1]

STAGE 3: The learning journey will equip Fellows to embark on a career pathway in the disability sector. By practising your professional talent and applying the Fellowship learning, you will have ample opportunities to make a difference in the lives of persons with disabilities and contribute to the growth of the sector. You will be able to pursue a career in the disability sector and be part of the Soapstone community.

[1] While the Soapstone Fellowship is an in-person and onsite program, we are closely monitoring the current global situation of the pandemic as we approach the start date. Depending on the circumstances, there is a possibility for the 2021-22 Fellowship to take place online or as a blended learning model (online and onsite).

The Fellowship is looking for persons with disability or any individual committed to sociatal change and celebrate the human spirit.  The Fellowship is open to anyone from any field and any level of experience, who is

• above 21 years of age,
• excited to contribute to the vision,
• able to work ambiguity,
• looking to challenge the status quo,
• able to apply their existing domain expertise to the disability sector,
• willing to relocate to Bangalore for the Fellowship,
• has proficiency in English,
• preferably flency in one other Indian regional language.

Domains could be fields like management spheres e.g. Project Management, Training, Data Management & Analysis or design & systems practitioner e.g. Instructional Design, Research, Content Writing. Technology is another such field. Domains mentioned here are indicative and not exhaustive.

• Scope to be part of India’s leading and award-winning social organisations in serving them in prominent roles.
• Structured orientation to the disability livelihoods sector with a blend of on-ground experiences and spaces for reflection and learning as well as making sense of “emergence”.
• Access to pioneering frameworks, models, and resources to scale and sustain disability livelihoods. 
• Learning the best practices and tools to build relationships with different stakeholders.
• Mentorship by experts who have pushed the boundaries for mainstreaming persons with disabilities, including award winning social entrepreneurs in the country.
• Being a part of a large community of professionals who have found their calling in the disability sector. 
• The fellows will have scope to create benchmark in the sector for excellence.
• The Fellows will receive a monthly stipend of Rs.25,000 during the period of the Fellowship.

The evaluation committee, composed of members of EnAble India, sector experts and leaders from partner organizations, will look for changemakers who provide robust answers to questions about what drives their application for the fellowship and how applicants envision their change-making journey. Applicants will be evaluated on the following criteria: 

• Change making characteristics: Applicants must either already be taking or ready to take steps to make a real difference by leveraging their talent and professional abilities for improving the scope of livelihood for persons with disabilities. 
• Human-centered quotient: Potential Fellows should be able to listen, observe, and truly understand the life experiences of persons with disabilities with openness and humility. They need to enable and co-create new and innovative solutions with stakeholders to address the status quo. 
• Strong Commitment: Potential Fellows must commit to complete the fellowship program and serve the disability sector for at least two years. Their commitment to the cause and the change should be higher than the financial benefits offered by other industries or sectors. 
• Connection: All Fellows must demonstrate a personal connection with the cause and be willing to connect with others for collaborations and/or working together to bridge gaps in the disability livelihoods sector. 

In addition to our evaluation criteria described above, the Fellows will be selected across diverse factors such as gender, disability, class, ethnicity, age, and other critical inclusive aspects.