Before October ends, the Philippines will open its first ever call center that only employs blind persons, a milestone in the struggle of disabled people to cross the digital divide.
GMANews.TV reported that with eight training rooms and three desks dedicated for outbound calls, the call center facility will be equipped with adaptive hardware and software customized to the needs and abilities of the blind.
Six totally blind, low vision and sighted graduates are currently being trained as trainers in Taipei, Taiwan, the headquarters of the the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC).
ADOC provided funds for the facility, a project of the Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration, and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV) Inc.
The six trainers all came from ATRIEV, an organization that pioneered computer training for the blind in the country, the Resources for the Blind, National Council on Disability Affairs, Philippine National School for the Blind, and the Department of Education.
The facility’s customized outbound call center software and refreshable Braille display as hardware will allow totally blind individuals to provide customer assistance while listening to the client on the phone and reading the responses in Braille.
With the technology, the blind will hopefully gain the same speed and efficiency as the sighted call center agent, ATRIEV said.
ATRIEV has provided IT-related training for the blind for the last 15 years, with the use of a screen reader – a software application that translates text to speech – and a screen magnification software.
ATRIEV also provides on-the-job training in voicemail transcription to its qualified IT-related training graduates, in partnership with Gallop IT Solutions, a local transcription company.
The launching ceremony for the project was held last 20 October 2009 at the ATRIEV’s Training Center for the Blind in Quezon City. The project is expected to be presented at the APEC Conference to be held in Singapore in November 2009.
GMANews.TV reported that with eight training rooms and three desks dedicated for outbound calls, the call center facility will be equipped with adaptive hardware and software customized to the needs and abilities of the blind.
Six totally blind, low vision and sighted graduates are currently being trained as trainers in Taipei, Taiwan, the headquarters of the the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Digital Opportunity Center (ADOC).
ADOC provided funds for the facility, a project of the Adaptive Technology for Rehabilitation, Integration, and Empowerment of the Visually Impaired (ATRIEV) Inc.
The six trainers all came from ATRIEV, an organization that pioneered computer training for the blind in the country, the Resources for the Blind, National Council on Disability Affairs, Philippine National School for the Blind, and the Department of Education.
The facility’s customized outbound call center software and refreshable Braille display as hardware will allow totally blind individuals to provide customer assistance while listening to the client on the phone and reading the responses in Braille.
With the technology, the blind will hopefully gain the same speed and efficiency as the sighted call center agent, ATRIEV said.
ATRIEV has provided IT-related training for the blind for the last 15 years, with the use of a screen reader – a software application that translates text to speech – and a screen magnification software.
ATRIEV also provides on-the-job training in voicemail transcription to its qualified IT-related training graduates, in partnership with Gallop IT Solutions, a local transcription company.
The launching ceremony for the project was held last 20 October 2009 at the ATRIEV’s Training Center for the Blind in Quezon City. The project is expected to be presented at the APEC Conference to be held in Singapore in November 2009.
Posts
WOW WOW WOW..this is really amazing... at least our blind kababayans will get employed as well as trained for their future.
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Call Center Outsourcing
Modern technology can take many handicaps further in life. This is another amazing use of technology.
this is cool! at least employers are giving these fellow a chance. good job!
This is fantastic. The Thika School for the Blind in Thika Kenya also has an initiative to introduce techonology for the blind. This is great. Thanks for sharing.
This is way cool.
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