Workplace can be PWD-friendly
With 1.3 billion people across the globe having significant disability, business process outsourcing giant Accenture recognizes the need for more inclusive policies in the workplace when it comes to hiring persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Accenture Philippines special advisor for global accessibility center and inclusion Rudy Guiao Jr. says that more than 3 percent of their current employees in the country are persons with disabilities, a number that they are expecting to grow given their current hiring policies.
PWDs are defined as those having difficulty performing day to day activities, such as walking, communicating, hearing or seeing, even if wearing glasses.
“We’ve always been saying that we are a very inclusive company. Most of our roles are saying that we are open for (anybody). It’s part of our unwavering commitment to inclusion and diversity,” Guaio tells the Inquirer.
Accenture employs more than 79,000 people in the Philippines, indicating that over 2,300 of its workforce in the country are differently abled people.
More than the numbers, Guiao says they are looking more at the transformational impact they have on the lives of these people who are often deprived of opportunities in society.
Accessibility center
Back in 2019, Accenture Philippines pioneered and launched its accessibility center in the country as part of the company’s strong commitment to be the most inclusive and diverse employer in the information technology and business process management industry.
The company, so far, has established 40 of these accessibility centers around the world, providing a space where PWDs can interact with accessible technology.
The local unit has expanded the initiative with additional innovative technology for its Filipino employees, offering a wide range of assistance for its employees who have disabilities.
These technologies include what they call the “We Walk,” a smart cane for the visually impaired that detects above-ground obstacles with ultrasound while still retaining the ground feedback.
The company also has the Virtual Experience for Everyone (IVEE) application, which allows employees using sign language to connect and interact with other employees using the English alphabet.
Another initiative is the accessibility center on wheels, which provides assistive tools and technology such as headsets, talk-to-text keyboards, glasses, among other equipment to homes of PWD employees.
“Since 80 percent of disabilities are acquired between the ages of 18 and 64, it is crucial that anyone could become a person with disability at any time; there is no us and them,” Accenture says in its website.
“We believe in the power of inclusion: to change lives, create a better future and deliver on the promise of human ingenuity.” INQ
