TRAINING. The deaf individuals and persons with special needs during one of the sessions of the digital literacy training conducted by the provincial government-run Negros Occidental Language and Information and Technology Center in Bacolod City on the first week of July. NOLITC collaborated with the Bacolod Integrated Deaf Association to implement the pioneering project. (Photo courtesy of Negros Occidental Language and Information and Technology Center)
BACOLOD CITY – More employment opportunities have been opened for Negrense persons with disabilities (PWDs) through the digital literacy training conducted by the provincial government-run Negros Occidental Language and Information and Technology Center (NOLITC) based in this city.
Some 19 hearing-impaired individuals and five persons with special needs comprise the initial batch of 24 participants who completed the five-day computer course held on the first week of July.
Ma. Cristina Orbecido, vocational school administrator of NOLITC, said on Tuesday they partnered with the Bacolod Integrated Deaf Association (BIDA) to implement the pioneering project.
“NOLITC wants to campaign for inclusion. Being a gender and development (GAD) champion, we intend to create programs that will impact the disadvantaged sectors like the deaf association. The digital literacy training is just the beginning of our collaboration with BIDA,” Orbecido told the Philippine News Agency (PNA).
During the training, the participants were taught how to navigate a desktop computer, create an email address, and use social media.
“After the five-day training, we expect them to transition to the regular training programs. We discovered that some of them are interested in animation and graphic design,” Orbecido said.
She pointed out that NOLITC intends to introduce non-traditional skills to the trainees to enable them to engage in technology-driven work and online or virtual jobs thereby, getting employment beyond the conventional work offered to deaf individuals such as doing massage and cooking.
“There is one company who introduced to us their program for inclusion. They are reaching out to PWDs and giving them the priority to be hired,” Orbecido said.
Lafonsa Latoza, a deaf trainee, thanked the NOLITC for the opportunity to be part of the digital literacy program as she hoped to learn more skills in the future.
She said they also want to teach sign language to other people to allow them to understand and accept PWDs.
Serving as the sign language interpreter, BIDA coordinator Joan Briones, who assisted trainers Omega Armigos and Katrina Hilado, expressed her gratitude to the NOLITC and the Office of the Governor for allowing deaf individuals to avail of the digital literacy program.
“I’m very happy. This is the first time the deaf were given the priority to be trained like this,” she said.
Marie June Castro, provincial GAD focal person, said the Office of the Governor will strengthen its programs for social inclusion by giving utmost priority to projects with social impact on persons with special needs.
“We’re excited that with the programs for PWDs, more companies will be able to hire them and recognize their potentials,” she added.
As a technical-vocational school, NOLITC mainly offers Technical Education and Skills Development Authority-registered training programs on 2D Animation, Visual Graphic Design, Contact Center Services, and English Language Proficiency. (PNA)
