Gunavathy Muthu
Accounting Manager
Mobility-impaired
Joined Genashtim on February 16, 2014
“I am Gunavathy or Gee as my friends call me. I am from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I have polio since I was 8 months baby but that has not stopped me from being ambitious and dream of being like any other able person.
When I was young I attended normal schools and I finished my college among very much able people. Even though it was tough competing with them but I was determined to prove to everyone that being a physically challenged person does not make me less able than them in any way.
My family were too protective towards me because of my condition (I limp and wear special shoes because my right leg is an inch shorter than the other and I cannot use my right hand at all moreover, I am prone to falling down often) and they became my main obstacle when I started looking for jobs. But my eldest sister was and still is very supportive in whatever I do and with her help I moved out to find jobs.
Finding jobs was not easy those days for a physically challenged person and in the employers’ point of view, I am not capable of working with one hand. So, there came my second obstacle and this made me more determined to find a job. And I did, with the help of an employment agency. I joined as a General Clerk in a small Indian company with a meagre salary and from there onwards I gained experience and moved on to other bigger and well established companies. Even though I did not get a job based on my qualification, I grabbed whatever job that was offered to me as to gain experience. I have worked as a Receptionist, Accounts Clerk, Customer Service, Export Coordinator, Secretary, Accounts Assistant, HR Assistant and at one point managed the whole department in the absence of my superior and my last held job was as an Administrative Executive. I am proud to say my appraisal was as equal as an able person’s appraisal and I was lucky to have had very nice bosses.
Then came a news that almost shattered my freedom and independence, in 2008 I was diagnosed with Post-Polio Syndrome, a disease only 1 in a 100 polio victims are diagnosed with. A disease affecting the muscles and nerves and can make a person bedridden without any movement. I was depressed at first but pulled myself together and consoled myself that there are worst affected people in this world compared to me. I left my job because I was having difficulty climbing staircase and waking up in the mornings as well as forgetfulness. But now I am much better with the help of Varma massage and Siddha medicines.
Since the time I left my job up till a months ago, I was looking for home base jobs but unfortunately there was none reliable and all the online home base jobs requires a small deposit which made me quite reluctant to join them.
Finally, I got to know about Genashtim through another physically challenged person. I applied for a part time job in the Administrative Department but was offered a permanent post as an Accountant at Genashtim and a Substitute Coach for EPIC Online. As I lost in touch with accounting for quite a number of years I was finding it difficult to start off doing accounts and at one point I almost gave up, but with Thomas’s encouragement and guidance I continued and now I can say I am able to handle it quite well.
At Genashtim, everything is done online and at the comfort of our own homes without having to worry about transport or beating the traffic and arriving punctually to work. Everything is conducted through emails and Skype as well as Google Hangouts. We have Management Meetings through Skype or GoToMeeting and it consists of staffs all around the world and most of us are physically challenged staffs. Just imagine staffs worldwide talking and seeing each other in the comfort of their homes at the same time! I would say that’s really amazing!
Genashtim employs us not because we are physically challenged but because they believe that we have the capabilities just like any other able person in the sense of knowledge, skills and performance. I know that a physically challenged person can do anything they want as long as they have the determination and believe in themselves as well as the ‘never give up attitude’. As Thomas has pointed out to me several times, “Genashtim is not a charitable organization”, and definitely not a place for lazy or incompetent people. So, here at Genashtim we work with the same terms and conditions as how an able employee works. We get penalised for our mistakes just like every other person and this makes us more determined to improve ourselves.
I am proud to be a part of Genashtim family as it is not easy finding jobs for the physically challenged and Genashtim has given me the opportunity for being independent and happy once again.
For me, ‘We are how we live our life, so make the most of it and make use of the opportunity given to the fullest’.”
