Perfumed candles, microwaveproof leaf plates, trendy clothes and accessories, all these and more are being made by people with autism, multiple disabilities and are sold in obscure locations across the country.

Now these products will carry a brand name and will be knit together as a giant marketing corporation with markets in India and abroad.

The process began this week with the former President APJ Abdul Kalam launching the Association for Rehabilitation under National Trust Initiative in Marketing, an autonomous body under the National Trust, for the welfare of persons with autism, cerebral palsy, mental retardation and multiple disabilities.

The body will be run under the ministry for social justice and empowerment.

Text: Sreelatha Menon, Business Standard

Image: In this file photo, former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam talks with students of the Manobikash Kendra Rehabilitation and Research Institute for the Handicapped during an interactive function in Kolkata. | Photograph: STRDEL/AFP/Getty Images.