Digital entrepreneurship for PWDs

MANILA, Philippines — Digital connectivity offers huge income and career opportunities for persons with disabilities (PWDs), although significant accessibility gaps still need to be addressed, leading advocates for PWDs said.

In the “What if instead?” podcast last March 18 featuring the UP Open University Startup for People with Disabilities, guests Ari Luis Halos, UP Open University assistant professor, and Charnylle Antiporda, founder of Juan Lift, challenged conventional thinking about disability and employment by showcasing how digital entrepreneurship is creating new opportunities for PWDs.

Antiporda and Halos are part of a global network of entrepreneurs who share resources and strategies to create meaningful change.

“I am closer to the pain, and this is why I took digital entrepreneurship – to prove that if we are given support, we can perform well in our field,” said Antiporda, whose venture Juan Lift connects PWDs with remote job opportunities in growing digital industries. Juan Lift is creating a self-sustaining model by training PWDs for digital careers, particularly in healthcare, and partnering with virtual agencies to facilitate long-term employment.

In their discussion, it was established that while many PWDs possess exceptional skills, outdated hiring practices and infrastructure challenges often prevent them from accessing suitable employment opportunities.

The participants also observed that digital connectivity offers unprecedented potential to level the playing field.

Halos emphasized that the core challenge isn’t a lack of talent but rather insufficient connections. “The skills are already here. We just need to connect the right people to the right opportunities.”