James Lawrence Malabiga (left) and Franklin Mahinay Jr. (right) lead the read-along session

PLDT and its wireless unit, Smart Communications, Inc., support efforts to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities, promoting love for reading among the young.

“PLDT and Smart work with partners to empower students in unique circumstances. Through assistive and adaptive technology, we can broaden the roles of learners with disabilities in our efforts to elevate the quality of education and student experience,” said Stephanie Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart.

Working with their partner ATRIEV, the prime ICT specialist non-profit organization that empowers visually impaired persons through technology-enabled assistive programs, PLDT and Smart brought two high school students with visual impairment to lead the Inquirer Read-Along session in Makati with around 30 grade school students from the Chair of St. Peter School and Saint Alphonsus Liguori Integrated School.

Both 17-year-old Grade 10 students at Valenzuela National High School, Franklin Mahinay Jr. became blind because of a tumor growth in his brain when he was ten, while James Lawrence Malabiga lost his eyesight at the age of two. Both students had earlier completed the Android Accessibility Training conducted by ATRIEV and supported by the PLDT Group through the IDEATe (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Advocacy through Technology) program.

“I was surprised when they asked me to be one of the storytellers. Together with my friend, Franklin, we practiced for almost a week to be able to perform at our best and help the audience appreciate the moral lesson of the story,” said Malabiga.

 Malabiga and Mahinary Jr. skim their fingers along Braille characters, a tactile writing code used by persons with visual impairment, to read the book.

While other storytellers read books through text and colorful pictures, Mahinay Jr. and Malabiga deftly moved their fingers across what looked like blank pages. But on closer look, they were skimming their fingers along Braille characters, a tactile writing code used by persons with visual impairment. The system uses up to six raised dots in unique arrangements within a three-by-two cell to form characters.

They never skipped a beat. With voice projection skills that rival radio drama actors, the two students from Valenzuela captivated their audience.

“Reading makes us understand many things. There are lessons to be learned from stories that are not being taught at school. But the greatest lessons come from experience,” added Malabiga.

Under the PLDT Group’s IDEATe initiative, PLDT and Smart partnered with ATRIEV to expand opportunities for PWDs by offering Android Accessibility programs, Digital Business Basics, and Disability Sensitivity trainings.

These efforts are aligned with PLDT and Smart’s commitment to help the country achieve UNSDG No. 10 on reducing inequality by empowering and promoting the social, economic and political inclusion of all, including persons with disabilities.

The PLDT Group’s support to learning activities highlights its commitment to UNSDG No. 4 on inclusive, equitable and quality education by leveraging on technology to ensure that no learner is left behind.

These programs also underscore the PLDT Group's commitment to innovation and digital inclusion, and to assist in the government's key digitalization efforts. [END]