DAGUPAN CITY – An official of the Department of Social Welfare and Development is urging local chief executives in Pangasinan to support people with disabilities by providing training and livelihood opportunities to improve their quality of life.
Virginia Sesay, training center superintendent of Area I Vocational Rehabilitation Center (AVRC 1), a DSWD-run facility, encouraged local leaders to raise awareness about these programs and extend support to people with disabilities who want to develop their skills.
“We have a facility that is willing to provide training and job opportunities to empower and uplift our people with disabilities so they can support their families and contribute to nation-building,” Sesay said.
The AVRC 1, the country’s first established rehabilitation center, aims to make people with disabilities productive and financially independent through vocational training and collaboration with various stakeholders.
It offers a variety of training programs for people with disabilities ages 16 to 59, including tailoring, dressmaking, massage therapy, cookery, beauty care and hairdressing.
Each client receives a P450 daily allowance, including weekends and holidays, if they have a permanent training schedule.
Eligible participants include individuals with visual, physical, communication and intellectual disabilities, as well as those with cleft lip and palate. Applicants must show dedication and commitment to completing their chosen course.
Raymond Ayuban, a client enrolled in the massage therapy course who has visual impairment due to retinitis pigmentosa, an eye condition that slowly causes vision loss, expressed gratitude for the government’s training programs.
“It’s like a light at the end of the tunnel—just when you think it’s over, AVRC is there to give you hope and a chance to move forward in life,” Ayuban said.
Susana E. Tandoc, an advisory committee member and school head of Maxima Institute, which has hired a graduate with a disability, highlighted the skills and capabilities of people with disabilities, emphasizing that they can excel and thrive when given the right opportunities.
AVRC 1 currently supports 71 active clients from Regions I, II, III and the Cordillera Administrative Region.
Through its social and vocational rehabilitation programs, the center remains committed to empowering people with disabilities to become self-sufficient and live independent, fulfilling lives. (PIA Pangasinan)
