“Technology can help level the playing field for people who face barriers to education and employment,” said Stephanie V. Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Engagement at PLDT and Smart. “By focusing on practical digital skills, we’re helping persons with disabilities engage more confidently in a digitally connected society.”
AI: All Included
The AI for Accessibility course uses AI-powered applications to make learning more inclusive and accessible for children with disabilities. Initially rolled out for Special Needs Education (SNED) teachers, with support from the Department of Education schools divisions of Makati, Taguig, and Pateros, the course provides hands-on training on generative AI tools, assistive mobile applications for the visually impaired, and speech-to-text and text-to-speech technologies. PLDT and Smart also offered the training to advocates from like-minded organizations.
Open for Business, Open for All
Beyond the classroom, PLDT and Smart also support livelihood opportunities for persons with disabilities and their families. Through the Digital Business Basics Training, participants learn how to start and manage small businesses, use design tools to craft posters and other marketing collaterals, and apply basic principles of costing, pricing, and online selling. The PLDT Group later on organized workshops for graduates that helped them form a vendors association, enabling them to collaborate and expand their market reach. It also invited beneficiaries to PLDT and Smart’s bazaars at the Group’s headquarters to further boost their income.
PLDT and Smart also offered skills training on social media marketing, bookkeeping, and general virtual assistance to 30 women with disabilities and carers of persons with disabilities to allow them to offer office support services remotely.
Learning the Basics
PLDT and Smart also champion the use of everyday technology for inclusion. With smartphones already widely used in the Philippines, the PLDT Group worked with ATRIEV to help persons with visual impairment turn their mobile phones into assistive devices through the Android Accessibility Training. The program covers basic operations and introduction to screen readers, angle gestures and other essential applications. In 2025, with support from NORFIL Foundation and the DepEd Schools Division Office of Manila, the course was expanded to accommodate students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), Intellectual Disability (ID), and other neurodevelopmental conditions by incorporating interactive reading applications and gamified math programs to build academic and functional digital skills. The program also introduced participants to communication tools designed for users with sensory or learning disabilities through built-in real-time feedback and visual cues.
Creating safe spaces
PLDT and Smart go beyond rhetoric by translating their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion into concrete action. In the previous year, more than a thousand employees completed disability sensitivity workshops, including immersive activities that simulate the everyday challenges faced by persons with disabilities—strengthening awareness and fostering a more inclusive workplace culture. As DEI champions, they also shared the initiative with partner universities and organizations.
Through IDEATe, the PLDT Group reaffirms its mission to uplift the lives of persons in challenging circumstances and to support the country’s pursuit of UNSDG 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth, and UNSDG 10 on Reduced Inequalities.
No comments:
Post a Comment