They exuded warmth and sincerity as they attended to customers’ needs, delivering every request with great service. Why then, given this kind of character and performance, are PWDs deemed incapable of working in the foodservice industry?
Amante notes that having PWDs in the company will give them a sense of fulfillment that, for the longest time, society has deprived them of: economic independence. As an inclusive workplace, MGI sees hiring PWDs as blind trust. As long as they are able to pass the test and train under programs with partners like the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and Leonard Cheshire Disability Philippines Foundation Inc. , they have all the foundation they need to start working.
“Companies really have to give opportunities to people with disabilities. It all starts with changing the mindset—let’s believe that they have abilities, then we give them opportunities and the right support,” says Hazel Joy Borja. “That’s the beauty of our program—no one is left behind. [If] you are interested [in going into] wage employment, we can provide you the needed support based on the assessment that we do.
It’s all about understanding what deafness is and what their identity is. Much like how we grew up not knowing that we are Filipinos until we entered school. For Borja, if companies are able to unlock the full potential of PWDs, they will see that there are actually many benefits in doing so. There will be low attrition rates as PWDs are dedicated to their jobs. They know how hard it is to find a job so they value every opportunity they are given.
As Oscar explains, hiring PWDs allows companies to expand their market. “Your company may be diverse, but never inclusive. There could be a lot of PWD employees in the company, but if they don’t feel that they are valued, that’s nothing. It’s more of providing opportunities regardless of who you are,” says Oscar.
They also have two marketing assistants, a first for DLS-CSB’s Deaf Studies, in their team that work on usual marketing tasks. It isn’t just front of house work anymore, they are also given the opportunity to work inside the office. Carlo is the first employee with autism spectrum disorder to be hired by MGI. He started working as a crew member in Pancake House in October 2019. Prior to that, ASP helped him land a job in SM Market as a retail sales associate and in COMELEC as a clerk for the Overseas Workers Division.
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