Ashoka Philippines features PADS
In the Philippines, the needs of persons with disabilities remain a largely unaddressed and invisible to the broader population. The immense barriers to communication and the lack of institutional support to address this deficiency give way to other grave issues like abuse.
The Idea
PADS offers an array of solutions to close the gaps in accessibility, such as Filipino Sign Language programs for individuals and institutions, collaborations with the First High School for the Hearing Impaired, and the mainstreaming of adaptive sports.
The Founder
Having been raised by a family with persons with disabilities (PWDs), JP grew to understand inclusivity at an early age. In high school, JP’s best friend was deaf and introduced him to a whole new world of signing. In college, JP started a program that trained people to become capable Filipino Sign Language (FSL) interpreters.
In partnership with Stairway Foundation, Inc., JP started the Break the Silence (BTS) Project to help detgect and prevent sexual abuse of Deaf people.
JP also founded the Philippine Accessible Disability Services, Inc. (PADS) to extend his work to include all persons with disabilities. One of the organization’s key focuses is adaptive sports which to expand the venues for mainstreaming the include of PWDS in all aspects of society.
PADS
In 2017, PADS founded the first cross-disability dragon boat team in Filipino History, the PADS Adaptive Dragon Boat Team. Within the same year, the team won the gold medal at the 9th Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival on its first try.
Note: All the above statements were written by Ashoka Philippines on its Facebook Post at https://www.facebook.com/AshokaPhilippines/posts/pfbid0b1o63CwoceeaxNGwhk1c4TKMVCxPv8n96oeHowCzyCzWbg2gzFb3onK1AHHehjYhl