First disability expo in PH to open in December | New Day - video Dailymotion

CNN Philippines

Employment is one of the greatest challenges people with disabilities face. Despite their skills and talents, not all of them are given the opportunity.  But one nonprofit organization is working to change that with the first-ever disability expo in the Philippines happening next month.  To talk more about it is Project Inclusion Network executive director Grant Javier.  Visit our website for more #NewsYouCanTrust: https://www.cnnphilippines.com/  Follow our social media pages:  • Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CNNPhilippines • Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cnnphilippines/ • Twitter: https://twitter.com/cnnphilippines

Transcript

00:00 Employment is one of the greatest challenges for people with disabilities.

00:03 Despite their skills and talents, not all of them are given the opportunity.

00:08 But one non-profit organization is working to change that

00:11 with the first ever disability expo in the Philippines happening next month.

00:16 And to talk more about it, we have with us Project Inclusion Network Executive Director, Grant Javier.

00:21 Welcome to New Day, Grant.

00:22 Thank you, thank you, Paolo.

00:23 It's great to have you. We were just saying,

00:25 this is the first time only that we're having an expo like this?

00:28 Yes, that's unimaginable for us.

00:30 We were researching about it and said,

00:32 "Hey, no one has ever done this before."

00:34 And this has to happen already. It's been a long time coming.

00:37 Great, fantastic.

00:38 Well, let's give everybody an overview first of what the organization does,

00:43 how you guys came around and came about, rather.

00:45 Yeah, Project Inclusion Network basically believes in the capabilities of persons with disability.

00:50 And they are not a burden.

00:52 Given the right opportunity and the right environment,

00:54 they can really do something not only for themselves,

00:57 but even contribute to their families and the society.

00:59 So we provide the opportunity for that.

01:01 Right. I think, and I was telling you, I think generally when the first thing that comes to mind,

01:06 when you say, "People, a person with disability at a place of employment,"

01:11 my thought is, "Do we have enough ramps? Have we provided access for my..."

01:17 There's only one type that comes to mind, and that is their wheelchair access.

01:21 And we really have to move beyond that, guilty as charged in that sense.

01:24 Yes, definitely, because there's a lot of types of disabilities.

01:27 You know, there's the visible, which are the ones on wheelchair, and the invisible disabilities.

01:32 And usually they are the ones who are left behind, because looking at them,

01:36 it's not apparent that they have disabilities, but definitely they have to be included as well.

01:40 All right. Well, this is the first ever exhibition in the country that's dedicated to PWDs.

01:45 How did you put it all together? And like we said, it's the first time.

01:49 What made you decide to finally make this happen?

01:53 Well, as I said, it's been a long time coming, and I've been working on this space for the past 10 years.

01:57 I've been involved with the different organizations, different businesses, companies,

02:01 so we have the interest of hiring them, and different government agencies as well.

02:06 So I was thinking, "Why not put them all together?"

02:09 So it'll be a one-stop shop for persons with disabilities, that all those two days, on December 9 and 10,

02:14 they'll be able to access the different services, products, or whatever that they would need,

02:19 even job opportunities themselves.

02:21 Perfect. Also, for people, organizations, employers, who are wanting to really open opportunities

02:28 for people with disabilities, it's also the perfect place for them to connect with people who are looking.

02:33 How many jobs will be up for grabs? What kind of jobs are we talking about here?

02:37 The group that we tapped is the Philippine Business Disability Network.

02:41 Most people don't know that there's such a group that exists.

02:44 There's about 60-plus companies there that are part of that.

02:47 So we've been discussing with them, and the whole fair is open to them,

02:52 and they'll be participating there.

02:54 So I would definitely, there'll be about 100 or so jobs open there.

02:58 Okay. Well, help us understand, open our eyes, in fact, to what sort of companies are going to be participating,

03:04 and really, I mean, I might sound silly saying this, but what kind of jobs are we talking about?

03:10 Because people with disabilities, or persons with disabilities, can do anything and everything that we can do.

03:15 Yes.

03:16 My talents may be different from your talents, and it's the same way for persons with disabilities.

03:21 True, true. You're right about that, Paolo.

03:22 Because a lot of people ask me, oftentimes, what can they do?

03:27 Probably they're not able to do this, and I was always telling them,

03:30 "Hey, you have to start with their capabilities and what's open in your business."

03:35 So basically, we just have to do a job match.

03:37 They can be accountants, they can be graphic artists, whatever we can think of.

03:40 And oftentimes, better at it than many other people.

03:44 We've already proven that. We have a case study of that,

03:47 proving that persons with disabilities can perform at par or better than their coworkers,

03:51 doing the same task, given the right environment.

03:53 Okay. Are there any particular companies that you sort of really want to underline who are doing a great job?

03:58 Yeah, mostly they're in the BPO and the financial institutions,

04:02 because they're the ones with more openings right now.

04:05 Especially with the pandemic, a lot of jobs are in the digital space.

04:09 Well, I was going to ask that. I mean, it must have been a real eye-opener for everybody to see,

04:15 all of us, that there's so much you can do from your home, from the comfort of your home.

04:20 There's so much you can do in your chair, sitting, getting so much work done.

04:24 And if that's the case, then there's so many other opportunities available to people

04:28 who don't necessarily have the access that we do.

04:31 Yeah. It may sound silly, but the pandemic is quite empowering as well for persons with disabilities,

04:37 because it enabled them to be able to work even in the comforts of their home.

04:41 Okay, fantastic. Well, let's give them the details.

04:44 Grant, I'm sure a lot of people are excited about this.

04:47 When is the Expo, and how do we take part?

04:49 So, on December 9 and 10, that will be the Expo at the SMX, Mega Trade Hall,

04:54 because that's in line with the celebration of the International Day of Disability.

04:58 Perfect.

04:58 So, that's in that week.

05:00 And, of course, we are calling on persons with disability organizations, groups, merchants, exhibitors,

05:06 those who provide services for them, to be present there and get in touch with us

05:12 through our Facebook page, Project Inclusion PH.

05:15 You can get in touch with us there, and, of course, we'll be showing some details.

05:18 You're doing some fantastic work, Grant. Please don't stop.

05:21 Thank you so much for being with us here on New Day.

05:24 Thank you.

05:24 Thank you, Bob.

First disability expo in PH to open in December | New Day

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