Online employment system for Persons with Disability (PWDs) project supports

• equals.org.ph website management and training for persons with disability users,
• Social media marketing of the website,
• linkages with other support providers for persons with disability.

Unemployment and poverty are the major issues or problems of persons with disability that prevent them to have quality lives, achieve economic empowerment and inclusion in society. According to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), there are around 100 million Filipinos and out of this, 1.5 million are persons with disability. The project involves persons with disability in all stages. Persons with disability are not only end-users of the project but the management of the website is being done by persons with disability themselves. The equals.org.ph website provides unique avenues to disseminate information on the various resources available for persons with disability.

According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, there are around 100 million Filipinos and out of this, 1.5 million are persons with disabilities (PWDs). Most of these PWDs are faced with unemployment and poverty that prevents them from having quality lives, and achieve economic empowerment and inclusion in society.

PhilCODE intervened with an online employment system for PWDs, equals.org.ph and a mobile application. Through this platform, 724 PWD registered have access to different employment and livelihood opportunities. Equally, 33 companies also registered on the platform as part of the partnership with PHILCODE to provide opportunities for referrals

“After the (entrepreneurship) training the PDAO (Persons with Disabilities Affairs Office) Representative Ms. Mary Joanne Casipit updated PhilCODE that they have conducted different meetings with representatives from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture to try a different type of approach on Hydroponic Gardening.”

Additionally, PhilCODE developed partnerships with organizations from local government units in the areas of Alaminos, Pangasinan and Cainta, Rizal in the island of Luzon where they conducted entrepreneurship trainings in their municipalities. In return, the municipalities were willing to support livelihood projects for the PWDs

“Having strong partnership and collaboration with local government is also an impact because the LGU will play a vital role in supporting the employment and livelihood of persons with disability later on to ensure the sustainability. A total of six LGUs showed support before and after the trainings.”

A combination of the website, mobile application and entrepreneurship trainings proved to be successful empowerment approaches in providing information on limited opportunities for employment and livelihood in the community for PWDs. In La Union province, a group of PWDs approached PhilCODE for further training on the formation of village cooperatives for PWD in November 2020. Consequently,a total of 69 PWD got livelihood opportunities; 18 in Barangay San Juan, 3 in Don Mariano, Cainta, Rizal 15 in San Joe, Batangas, 7 in Bakakeng, Baguio, 15 in Alaminos, Pangasinan, and 5 in San Mateo, Rizal. One person in San Mate started her own livelihood pot-making. Furthermore, some of the companies for which PhilCODE provided disability training became more open to becoming more inclusive in their workplaces and providing reasonable accommodation for PWDs.

“We will continue networking and collaborating with various levels of stakeholders to further the goals of this project. We need to open more doors of opportunities of employment and livelihood for persons with disability. There are lots opportunity it is a matter of searching for them and reaching to those that can offer new opportunities.”