PWDs undergo coding

A BUSINESS process management (BPM) company has introduced coding to persons with disabilities (PWDs) in Cebu City.

Accenture Philippines with the help of its employee-volunteers held an Hour of Code session with PWDs from the Persons with Disability Affairs Office (PDAO).

Hour of Code is a coding session for participants with disabilities with challenges in speech and hearing from various communities.

“We are delighted to collaborate with PDAO and our volunteer employees to introduce coding to our communities of persons with disabilities in Cebu City, as part of our continuing commitment to promote equality and fostering a culture that acknowledges and celebrates individual unique abilities,” said Ambe Tierro, Accenture Philippines technology and global AI capability lead.

The activity is in line with the company’s observance of International Persons with Disabilities Day and in support of the Hour of Code in celebration of Computer Science Education Week from Dec. 9 to 15.

“Through this initiative, we are leveraging technology to break barriers by enabling communities and continuing to inspire interest in technology pursuits and careers,” she added.

Tierro said the Hour of Code is one of their initiatives to spark the love for technology and innovation for the younger generation.

“We start at the grassroots. Accenture has been partnering with Code.org and this is our fifth year in hosting across all our locations globally,” she said.

They hosted an Hour of Code to young people aged 14 to 21 in their

Ebloc 2 office in Cebu IT Park.

“It’s super critical to get them excited. And I know that we created a lasting memory among these students and hopefully, they will remember the time they did an Hour of Code in Accenture where anything was possible,” Tierro said.

Code.org® is “a non-profit organization dedicated to expanding the participation in computer science by making it available in more schools, and increasing participation by women and underrepresented students of color.”