A day that made a difference

MANILA, Philippines - It’s 10:30 a.m. The weather outside is dismal, but the atmosphere inside SM North EDSA’s Cyberzone is buzzing with excitement.

Launched in cooperation with the National Council of Disability Affairs is the ICT’s first ever technology job fair for people with disabilities, entitled “ICT: Enabling People.”

Previous job fairs for PWDs were concentrated on retail and hospitality sectors, most of them custodial. This is an opportunity for them to find a job in one of the fastest growing industries.

It is hard enough for PWDs to find a job, but it’s even harder to find an understanding employer.

“I used to work for a popular clothing company as a clerk,”says Joel, 26, who is hearing-impaired. “I quit in two months, because my manager used to hit me in the head or poke me with a hanger whenever he wanted to get my attention.”

A Business Management major, most of the jobs he has held are as a clerk. He is now looking for a job as an encoder, a task that most hearing-impaired people are very good at.

Still, it hasn’t been easy. He has been job-hunting for over a year, and most of the companies he applied to never responded.

“A lot of companies think that you have to make huge adjustments to accommodate someone with a disability, which is not true,” says Pia May Resurreccion, who works for the Resources For The Blind and is also visually-impaired. “Most of the adjustments are made by the PWDs themselves, who are already trained to make do with what they have, or already use adaptive equipment.”

Indeed, now is a great time for PWDs to work in technology: there are Braille keyboards, programs that read out text on the screen, or a cellphone. Indra, a tech firm based in Spain, even developed a virtual keyboard and head mouse. Designed for people with severely reduced mobility, they are giving this technology away for free.

But a bigger problem facing most PWDs has nothing to do with their disabilities – money.

“Ninety five percent of PWDs in the Philippines are from lower income families,” says Noli Agcaoili, president of the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled (PFRD). He also runs a program that trains PWDs for jobs in the technology industry.

The job fair participants with ex-Isabela governor Grace Padaca.

Most PWDs lack the education and the resources to find a job, which makes his foundation, the Nova Foundation, a necessity.

“Our program lasts for three months. Besides teaching them a marketable skill, such as telemarketing or encoding, we invest a lot in behavioral training. We prepare them for the work environment. We make sure to support them during their OJTs, and we have a marketing department that helps them find jobs. Even then, we provide counseling for when they encounter problems in the workplace.”

Eric Tansingco, CEO of Take One Animation, runs a similar program. His company is one of ten animation firms that directly deals with production, and regularly works with Toei Animation in producing popular anime shows.

“We run a scholarship program for PWDs. We train them – for free – for five months, after which we evaluate their skills. Those good enough are absorbed, while others are sent back for additional free training.”

Both programs are very successful: Take One Animation already has hired two deaf animators who will work as trainers, while 428 of the Nova Foundation’s 627 graduates are now employed.

These triumphs are not without sacrifices though. It costs P30,000 for the Nova Foundation to train one person, covered by private donations. They screen heavily, and only admit around 20 people per year.

Take One Animation’s training costs P35,000 per person, not including transportation allowance or the meals. All of these are shouldered by the company and Tansingco himself.

The event itself took two months to plan. SM Supermalls graciously provided the space, man-power, and equipment for the whole-day event for free.

 “It’s difficult, and in the beginning I wanted to quit,” says Tansingco, who has even learned sign language. “But when you see your students persevere, you can’t help but feel motivated.”

Motivation and perseverance are something that PWDs have in spades, and it shows in their attitude.

Erin, who is wheelchair-bound, just laughs as he talks about wheeling around the city. He used to be an electrician, but had to switch jobs when he found it hard to buy parts all the way in Raon.

“It’s hard for me to take public transportation, since buses and jeeps aren’t very wheelchair friendly. And unless there’s a cop, most of them won’t stop when you flag them down.”

So he takes cabs. But most of the time, he rides down the sidewalk in his wheelchair.

“I can make it from my house in Luzon to Novaliches in an hour! I’ve even ridden all the way to San Mateo, Rizal!” he says with pride.

He and his friend Charley, an animator who was born without limbs, are now in talks to train with Take One Animation. Tansingco has even arranged for them to rent a room with one of his employees.

“They need encouragement,” says Sarah Erpelo, a values education teacher from the Manila Christian Computer Institute for the Deaf. “They’ve got a lot of will, but they need a lot of community support. So we’re used to pushing them: to excel, to succeed, to be independent. There are no translators when they graduate. So we do our best to motivate them to succeed.”

Agcaoili himself, who retired at the top of the executive ladder at General Motors Philippines, was stricken by polio since he was two. He has had to go through life in crutches, then a motorized wheelchair. He credits his education, and his mother’s unwavering support, for his success.

“She expected a lot out of me. I have eight siblings, and she never treated me differently,” he says. “She wanted all of us to succeed.”

As the day ends, the last of the PWDs leave the exhibit hall. The guards wave goodbye to them, while the custodians pack up.

One booth is still busy wrapping up an interview with a PWD. He shakes the hand of the recruiter from ePerformax, then smiles as she hands him a piece of paper.

“Thanks for your time,” she says brightly. “And I’m looking forward to seeing you on your job orientation. h

This day has taken a lot of effort, a lot of sacrifices, and a lot of goodwill. But for one PWD, it has made all the difference.