Partners for a vision beyond sight

MANILA, Philippines - Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV), the only school for the blind in the Philippines that specializes in providing access to computers and information technology for the visually impaired, has helped more than 500 blind and low vision individuals for nearly two decades now.

And for them, ATRIEV is not just a learning institution for the blind but an essential partner for them as well to help them achieve their vision in life — and not just plain physical sight.

ATRIEV opened new possibilities for the blind that were once unimaginable, and they did it with the help of some its organizational partners who gave their time and effort to help many blind Filipinos reach their goals and enrich their lives.

An organization like Christoffel Blindenmission (CBM), a leading international Christian non-government development organization, has been active in the empowerment of persons with disabilities in the Philippines for over 30 years.

Among the 30 government- and non-government agencies CBM supports, ATRIEV is one of them in terms of receiving grants that could help them sustain their training programs.

Another is Liliane Foundation Philippines (LFP) under the Stichting Liliane Fonds of Netherlands, which aims giving the youth in developing countries access to medical and social rehabilitation.

In 2007, ATRIEV became one of Liliane’s partners and has helped over 150 students who got assistance for their tuition, transportation and meal subsidy, among others.

With these kinds of partnerships, ATRIEV, together with Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC), was able to put up the first call center facility for the blind.

The project, dubbed as “ADOC 2.0,” involved an eight-work station call center training room and a three-seat outbound call center facility. The training centers are equipped with adaptive hardware and software that caters to the needs and abilities of the blind and help prepare them for future business process outsourcing employment opportunities.

Aside from organizations, there are also some individuals who have given more than what ATRIEV could ask for. Among them is Nestor Cruz, president and CEO of Excelion Technology, a company that specializes in healthcare solutions. Though based in Canada, Cruz always finds time to visit ATRIEV whenever he is in the country.

Cruz remains truly concerned with the organization’s continuous and sustainable operations so whenever able, he provides tuition and sponsorships for ATRIEV students, one of which was for the tuition of 20 call center trainees in 2011 and 2013, and other efforts to help defray expenses. He also participated in some of ATRIEV’s activities to show his genuine love and care for the organization.

Christoffel Blindenmission, Liliane Foundation Philippines, APEC Digital Opportunity Center and Nestor Cruz are just some of those who have helped ATRIEV dream big and soar high with its everyday challenges. And they continue to encourage other people and organizations to be part of an incredible journey that ATRIEV takes together with their visually impaired students.

To know more about the ATRIEV Computer School for the Blind and if interested in helping the organization, visit their office at the 2/F, 1680 E. Rodriguez Boulevard, Cubao, Quezon City. For more information, call 725-4191 or e-mail at [email protected].