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.
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