We can do it too — Pia Mae Resurreccion works as a receptionist and as a sales staff at the Resources for the Blind, Inc. office.

MANILA, Philippines -- Thousands of college students will graduate this year, all of them aspiring to land the perfect job without being fully aware that in the real world, they have to battle it out with other fresh graduates!

But if it is difficult for normal, able-bodied people to look for a job, it is even harder for people with disability (PWD) to compete for their dream jobs. Fact is, in this day and age, PWDs are still largely discriminated against when it comes to employment.

“There was one time one employer wrote something on a brown envelope. She then asked me if I could read the text despite knowing that I am blind. It was really insulting,” recalls 27-year-old Pia Mae Resurreccion, a graduate of Bachelor of Science major in Psychology at the Trinity University of Asia, Batch 2010. Resurrecion suffers from inborn low-vision blindness. From the time she was still studying until the time she graduated, she applied to many companies for work and often times, was left discriminated against but still jobless.

“The reality for us is it’s really hard to get a job. Employers will look at our disability first before our credentials. They would always ask if you can do this, if you can do that with a kind of resentment like we can’t do anything just because we lack one physical attribute,” she says.

The pain of rejection

Resurreccion says that because of the fear of rejection, she doesn’t always immediately tell the employers of her disability. The employer would talk to her over the phone and not until she shows up for the interview that everything is revealed. This worked for her as she landed jobs in telemarketing and transcription.

Currently, she’s employed at the Resources for the Blind, Inc., a non-government organization that provides services, trainings, materials, and equipment for the blind in the Philippines. She is also working as a part-time masseuse, which she learned to do back in high school.

“I went through the standard application here at RBI. They really looked at my skills and qualifications before hiring me. The process shows that visually-impaired individuals are treated equally, which employers should do,” Resurreccion says.

Hearing-impaired Beneroso Bajar, Jr. also experienced rejection while looking for work after graduating with a Certificate of Computer Operations at Miriam College in 2003. He says that in all the five companies that he applied to back then, all five rejected him.

“My first experience was during the Job Fair at Miriam College. I submitted my resume to a bank. I was told that they would call me. I waited and did not get any word from them. I tried to apply to other companies through email but did not get a reply also. Five companies, five rejections,” the 33-year-old Bajar says.

Luckily for him, his parents took him in their company as an administrative assistant in the accounting department.

“I really felt that I was discriminated against because once they find out that I am deaf, they think that I do less and automatically reject my application. Based on experience, not one company had asked me to come for interview, especially with us deaf because they think it is hard to communicate with us. They think that hearing people can do more than us. They do not give us opportunities,” Bajar says.

Teaching companies

Resurreccion says RBI closely works with different companies and communicates with them regarding job placements for visually-impaired individuals. They go to companies and encourage them to hire PWDs. They even show that blind people are capable by bringing blind graduates and illustrate to employers that they can do what normal people can.

However, despite some companies being receptive on the surface, majority of them are still apprehensive about hiring a person with disability.

 “They would say that their company is still not ready for a PWD employee, or their office is not conducive to a blind person. They don’t have to change anything in their office because we’re the ones who are going to adapt. They should remember that we have a law for the employment of PWDs,” she explains.

According to Magna Carta for Disabled Persons or Republic Act 7277, chapter I, section 5 that: no disabled person shall be denied access to opportuni¬ties for suitable employment. A qualified disabled employee shall be subject to the same terms and conditions of employment and the same compensation, privileges, benefits, fringe benefits, incentives or allowances as a qualified able bodied person.

“The only problem is the implementation of the law. If this is strictly implemented, then more PWDs have jobs now. And I think companies need further orientation because most of them really don’t know the law. Additional awareness in society must also be employed. We need more companies that are open-minded,” she stresses.

Resurreccion says that RBI also shows to these companies that there are special equipment and software available to assist visually-impaired individuals. If they are willing to hire blind employees or any person with disability for that matter, such investment is worth it.

“And for those PWD applicants, apply as much as you can. Continue despite the discrimination. Don’t give up, it’s a challenge you should take,” she adds.

Hopeful despite

Despite all the discrimination against PWD graduates, most of them still have a positive outlook in life.

For instance, 24-year-old, visually-impaired Hannah Mae Aldeza graduated last year with a degree of Computer Science at STI College in Marikina and has just been hired by a a call center company. She also worked before as a home-based English tutor where foreigners can talk to her to practice their English conversation skills. In addition, she is has a skincare and health care business.

“There’s just really lack of awareness in their part but if they have the proper awareness then people like us will be given a chance. I just got hired despite telling them immediately that I was blind. There are still companies that look beyond the disability,” she shares.

She continues to work hard to fulfill her dream to study abroad. She plans to enrol in a special training center in the US that teaches the blind to live independently. “I know I will achieve my dream because I will work hard for it.”

Moreover, fresh graduate 23-year-old Carla Dela Cruz feels equally optimistic about her career despite knowing that it will not be easy. She suffers from Spina Bifida, a congenital disorder that affects the vertebrae overlying the spinal cord. She has difficulty in walking and instead uses a wheelchair.

She just graduated cum laude, Bachelor of Education major in Special Education at the Trinity University of Asia. She is just one of the three PWD graduates in her class.

“I believe that there are more companies today that recognize PWDs. There are those that recognize that we too can be successful like everybody. We already have a law,” she says. “For PWDs like me, we should be optimistic. We should be strong and have faith. Let’s prove to everyone that we can do it too.”