SM briefs tenants on PWDs

CEBU, Philippines - SM City Cebu recently held a seminar on Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) attended by mall affiliates and personnel at the Event Centre. The aim is to educate the ‘frontliners” about the special needs and proper handling of Persons with Disabilities. 

Speakers include Esekias Malaza of Department of Social Welfare and Development and Flor Dabon of Area of Vocational Rehabilitation Center 2, who tackled the Magna Carta for Disabled Persons and Basic Sighted Guide Techniques for Blind People, respectively.

The participants were reminded of the rights and privileges of disabled persons and that they are part of Philippine society, thus the State shall give full support to the improvement of the total well-being of disabled persons and their integration into the mainstream of society.

They were also taught how to handle blind people and how to deal with them. Such that, the sighted guide is responsible for the safety of the person who is blind at all times, regardless of the errors on the person who is blind’s part. The guide must be especially careful to monitor obstacles at various levels from head to toe. These obstacles not only include furniture, fixtures and people, but also overhanging head-high obstacles as well as slight irregularities in the walking surface, such as carpets, doorway moldings and changes of texture in the walking surface. 

Mall facilities which are designed for PWDs include the special parking slots, the inclinator at the 3rd level of the covered carpark leading to SM Cinemas, ramps, drinking fountain, rest rooms for the PWDs, and even PWD slots at SM Cinemas for convenient viewing. (FREEMAN)