Siena College of Taytay champions learning for all with PLDT, Smart disability sensitivity training

What does a truly inclusive classroom look like? For Siena College of Taytay in Rizal, it starts with helping educators better understand the experiences and needs of students with disabilities.

Through a disability sensitivity workshop led by ATRIEV, PLDT and Smart are helping SCT teachers and support personnel build the knowledge and confidence to create more supportive learning environments. The session also encouraged educators to rethink how they teach, communicate, and provide reasonable support so that students of all abilities can participate more fully.

#KonektedforInclusion

From barriers to breakthroughs: PLDT, Smart train students with disabilities for accessible Android tool

Every child deserves a fair chance to learn. For many students with disabilities school can feel full of obstacles. Technology is helping turn those obstacles into opportunities. PLDT and Smart launched a new training program that teaches students to use accessible Android tools so they can read learn and communicate with more confidence. Through simple apps and hands on guidance young learners are discovering new ways to succeed and enjoy school every day.

Mulanay: Finding ‘Paraiso’ Through Digital Empowerment for Persons with Disabilities

The town of Mulanay in Quezon province has come a long way from the underserved rural community portrayed in the 1996 award-winning film Mulanay: Sa Pusod ng Paraiso, directed by Gil Portes. While the movie depicted a village lacking in infrastructure and a community deeply rooted in tradition and reluctant to embrace modern medicine, present-day Mulanay is now a first-class municipality where diversity and inclusion thrive, opening opportunities for residents in challenging circumstances such as persons with disabilities.

‘All Included’: PLDT, Smart launch AI workshop to empower people with disabilities and break digital barriers

Tech for inclusion just got smarter. PLDT and Smart are harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence (AI) to enable more persons with disabilities to access digital innovations. The move expands the PLDT Group’s efforts to reduce inequality and narrow the digital divide.

PLDT, Smart expand teaching strategies of Las Piñas SPED teachers

PLDT and Smart have bolstered the teaching strategies of Special Education (SPED) teachers in Las Piñas City to help them respond and interact more effectively with students who have disabilities.

Para athletes advocate for mental resilience, inclusivity, and sports with PLDT and Smart

To celebrate this year’s World Mental Health Day, PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart) continue their advocacy to champion mental health and wellness through sports with the Better Today: Power Move Project.

In partnership with the MVP Sports Foundation (MVPSF) and Football for Humanity (FFH), PLDT and Smart have organized the third Better Today: Power Move Project. But this year’s campaign has been made more special because the storytellers are athletes with disabilities and personalities from Obstacle Course Racing, football, among many others – who embody the true meaning of persistence, bravery, and mental resilience.

“As Filipinos, our love for sports helps strengthen the belief that anything is possible. It defines what true greatness is all about. These athletes, in their own extraordinary ways, have underscored the important message of how sports do not discriminate. Instead, sports instill a deep sense of community and solidarity,” said Jude Turcuato, PLDT and Smart FVP and Head of Sports, and MVPSF Executive Director.

A fundamental part of the telco’s advocacy on digital wellness, the Better Today: Power Move Project has reached over 15 million social media reach since launching the program in 2021, featuring various athletes backed by PLDT, Smart, and MVPSF and advocacy partners.

“In PLDT and Smart, through sports and mental resilience, it is our goal to help cultivate a culture of empathy and safe spaces. By creating a more inclusive community, we become champions of a better, safer, and more resilient world and a better tomorrow which starts today,” added Turcuato.

The Power Move Project is also a continuing effort to inspire the Filipino youth to become better citizens and help in the fight against discrimination and abuse.

“Through this project, we want to prompt a social change and hopefully, help break down barriers by promoting a culture of solidarity and inclusivity through sports,” said Belle Tiongco, VP and co-founder at Football for Humanity.

Making this year’s Better Today: Power Move Project more inclusive is a step toward PLDT and Smart’s push to empower people with disabilities.

PLDT and Smart have recently partnered with non-profit organization ATRIEV to train people with visual impairments in using the Android Accessibility Suite program so that they can maximize the use of their smartphones for daily living.

“PLDT and Smart have long championed digital inclusion, accessibility and innovation. Together with our partners, we support inclusive programs that break barriers and ensure that no one is left behind,” said Stephanie Orlino, AVP and Head of Stakeholder Management at PLDT and Smart. 

Beyond sports, PLDT and Smart’s Better Today program has also partnered with local governments, organizations, youth leaders, educational institutions, and social media influencers nationwide to advocate for mental health awareness and train frontliners in psychological first aid. Through this initiative, PLDT and Smart seek to uplift and improve the overall digital wellness of Filipinos, underscoring the commitment of PLDT and Smart to the UN Sustainable Development Goals #3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Catch the Power Move Project on Better Today’s Facebook and Instagram.

PLDT, Smart, ATRIEV empower visually impaired persons with digital training in Negros Oriental

PLDT Inc. (PLDT) and its wireless unit Smart Communications, Inc. (Smart), together with non-profit organization ATRIEV, held a ten-day Android accessibility training in Dumaguete City to upskill twenty visually impaired persons from eleven municipalities in Negros Oriental.

ATRIEV, Microsoft Making the web accessible through technology

The internet is a very important aspect of our life, as our most common source of information and entertainment, and means of connecting with peers and loved ones. However, most websites are not designed to be used by those with visual impairment, making much of the web inaccessible to those with vision loss.

Microsoft helps push boundaries of education through digital transformation

These days everything is mostly in digital form, thus Digital transformation is here, and it’s changing all industries, including education.

How Microsoft use technology to Empower Students with Special Needs, launches special video

Microsoft showed us how they use the modern-aged technology in helping the ones in need specially the ones who want to but hindered either. It launches a video that shows an example of how technology can empower students with special needs. Technically speaking they aren't but most doors weren't opened to them before. Now it's possible and being implemented