Born with severe deafness that affected her speech, Gala who has trained some of the biggest names in the film industry to play hearing or speech-impaired characters, was one of the awardees of 14th NCPEDP- Shell Helen Keller Awards.
The Awards ceremony held here on the eve of the World's Disability Day saw individuals with disability being recognised for their achievements in their field of work.
Other awardees included physically challenged Abdul Sajeed Ali for his efforts in ensuring work for disabled people under MNREGA in Andhra Pradesh; Radhika Chand, a painter and teacher with Down syndrome, and Ketan Kothari, who has facilitated access to printed words to visually impaired.
Speaking on the occasion, External Affairs Minister Salman Khurshid, who presented the awards said, "All the organisations associated with the cause are doing a great human as well as national service, by probably adding a percentage to GDP by bringing in hidden talents of those who have been neglected and kept away from opportunities."
National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP) also recognises efforts of individuals and organisations helping in generation of employment opportunities for people with disabilities.
The individuals who were recognised for their contribution in generating employment opportunities for disabled people included Ishita Sanyal, who runs mental rehabilitation centre 'Turning point', R Hari of Lemon Tree Hotels, Jaishree Thandwal from MphasiS.
Organisations like Aegis Limited, Euroable (an initiate by Eureka Forbes), SUN ITES, Lemon Tree Hotels, Wipro and Accenture were also given awards for employing sizable number of people with disabilities in their organisations.
