While slogans of ‘inclusivity’ may be highly popular today, the Academy has been working to make the differently-abled relevant to the workforce since 1990, when it sponsored an MTNL phone booth at Worli. This booth was managed by a polio-affected girl, Ms Sangeeta Jadhav, and helped her earn her livelihood. On April 20, 1990, renowned actress and danseuse Hema Malini inaugurated the booth, and speaking on that occasion, Mr Rupani announced that the Academy would sponsor 25 more booths for the physically-challenged. Priyadarshni Academy did follow through, opening and sponsoring the running of 25 Private Communication Centres employing differently abled individuals to run them.
