My “WHY” in 2021

“why venture to a diagnostic center?” they asked, and me? I said, “why not?”

Sharing this journey and sharing my why’s.

Backing track, a bit

The past couple of years in my IT – Digital Accessibility career, I’ve been working full-time as an Independent Contractor / Consultant. From a sheltered full-time 9 to 5 worker in the corporate world, I bravely jumped into consulting and I can say that this has been one of the best decisions I made. Not only that I control my time, but I’ve already been working remotely right even before the pandemic struck, and not to mention, all my clients are overseas.

The road though hasn’t always been smooth. Countless rejections here and there, especially in my homeland, but the biggest breakthrough happened when the pandemic hit.  Finally, people, especially in the borders of US and Europe truly realized the value of digital inclusion and insensitivity aside, I’m one of the lucky few who reaped the sweet benefits of this bitter crisis.

So, what does this Consulting career has to do with this current diagnostic center venture?

Well, first, the fruits of my hardwork made it possible for me to set aside funds; my capital investment in putting up this laboratory.

Second, I took advantage of my blindness to take part in solving the growing problems of digital inaccessibility while making it my primary source of bread and butter. so why not do it in the health aspect of my life? I’m a Lupus warrior, I know how it is to be in a patient’s shoe, so again, why not make a difference in this area and make a living all at the same time? And that’s where the core of this dream lies.

In my IT accessibility job, I took this path because I experienced first-hand how difficult it is to be blind in a digital world that is not inclusive and inaccessible. I took the path less traveled, walked with fellow visionaries and pushed a digital world that is inclusive for all users, and that includes people with disabilities like me. proud to say that I played my part and made a mark. probably not here in our country, but yeah, hoping that the Philippines follows through in terms of digital accessibility.

Relating it to my health journey, it’s a closely similar story. As someone diagnosed with a rare and delicate medical condition, I know too well how it feels to be terribly sick, yet still needs to travel in other bigger nearby provinces or in the metro just to take diagnostic tests. Travelling 8 hours in spite of being sick and weak back then, simply because I have no other choice. Not to mention the financial burden on top of my health battle, gas, food, and hotel expenses.

Now that God gave the means, and the universe conspired, Dr. Kathy Noscal and I, both of us are Lupus survivors, we saw this opportunity to somehow make a difference for our kababayan’s in Nueva Vizcaya. We’re not claiming to solve all the problems, but this is to collaborate with and compliment the current health care system here in the province; to somehow fill what is lacking. Hopefully to at least lessen the burden and bring the convenience that I have not fully enjoyed when I was still heavily battling my illness.

It’s definitely an answered prayer that God provided all the people and all the resources. So, this time around, like in my accessibility job, wherein I was given the rare opportunity to make a difference in my own simple way, I hope to do the same in the health care system of our humble province.

Together with my partners, we aim to slowly provide a more complete list of available diagnostic tests to the people of Nueva Vizcaya. This is not just to help in diagnosing illnesses, but to hopefully help the people to walk the path of wellness.

• We brought here machines and equipment’s being used by highly trusted and respectable medical institutions in the city.
• We made sure to keep our prices competitive and very affordable to all.
• We are inclusive and we prioritize the needs of senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
• We train our staffs to ensure efficiency, dependability and that they would be able to deliver the highest quality of service to our patients.
• Not to mention, the techy me aimed to bring a digital and fully automated information system into our business which would eventually translate convenience to our clients.

Just like when I bravely stepped out of my comfort zone in the corporate world, I am once again challenging the odds and boldly taking this step to start a new adventure. I am once again diving into the unknown, yet as always, fully entrusting everything to the almighty.

I’m no philanthropist, but I sincerely want to make a change, regardless of how small; to always be part of the solution, no matter how insignificant it may seem.

I’ve been through a couple of life and death moments and they taught me the essence and value of life. It is to not just simply live, but it is to have a life; a meaningful one.

Life, COVID and Digital Accessibility Unveiled

The past years, because of my frustration in the lack of implementation of digital accessibility here in my country, with a broken heart, I decided to put my love for programming in the sidelines. The inaccessibility of work tools in my first learning ground and the absence of alternative accessible tools frustrated me to the core, I went through depression, questioned my skills, and developed tons of insecurities.

My turning point took place when I decided to not just complain about the problem but tried to be part of the solution. Exclusion is the enemy, so I tried to beat it by walking the path of inclusion through the marvelous world of digital accessibility.

I initially tried my luck here in our own borders, but since I do not have the organization, the brand, my advocacies in my own land didn’t materialize as planned. Stubborn as I am, I didn’t stop. I went on finding ways and what I thought to be another failure turned out to be an open door for bigger blessings.

I step out the borders and luckily, there I was given the shot that I needed. The interesting global community of digital accessibility opened up for me. though it didn’t directly impact my own community back then, I embraced the opportunity nonetheless and there I picked myself up. I met new people, new mentors, new colleagues who gave me their trust and confidence. They gave me the equal chance that I desperately needed and there I learned to spread my wings once again. I was provided with inclusive trainings, got mixed in a highly inclusive culture and above all, was provided with accessible work tools. There I’ve learned accessibility in depth and there I even honed my first love – writing, alongside the tech-related stuffs that I’m doing.

Now that the world is off balanced because of this COVID enemy, we were left with no choice but to embrace a new normal. A world where almost everything has been transported into the virtual world. Because of this shift, digital accessibility, usability, and inclusion started to gain the value and appreciation that it deserved. Pre-COVID days, the online world is just our plan B. now, it became our new normal.

Education, employment and even our access to basic commodities such as food, groceries, banking services and now even telemedicine are now dominantly present in the virtual scene. It is a basic human right to have access to these services especially in this season of pandemic. No exemptions applied. Whether you have a disability, or you are simply not tech savvy, everyone is entitled to enjoy these services, and this is where accessibility and usability fits.

In the education sector alone, colleges and universities are forced to offer online classes, which caused reimbursements for other school fees. How is it then for students with disabilities? Are they guaranteed to access these platforms? Thinking forward, imagine the money each student can save when it is no longer necessary to spend for transportation, rent and other miscellaneous expenses. This would be most helpful for persons with disabilities, for they would no longer need to face the danger of commuting, discrimination and other factors that hinders them to attain good quality of education.

In the employment scene, if work tools becomes perfectly accessible, the number of unemployment for persons with disabilities will definitely drop down. Probably, depressing moments for PWDs, like what I experienced before, will also decrease.

on the mundane activities like shopping, banking and now, telemedicine, how convenient life could be, if these services becomes perfectly available not just to the majority, but for everybody, especially the minority.

I hope the lessons we learned, especially those about accessibility and inclusion will remain in the post-COVID world. May it not just be about a pleasant user experience, but an “accessible”, “inclusive” pleasant user experience. The key there is accessibility and inclusion. After all, accessibility and inclusion is not just for persons with disabilities, it is in truth, for everybody. Days of selective inclusion must end.

Advocacies for inclusion will never be truly inclusive if it will remain selective. true inclusion means including all social status, all kinds of abilities, gender identity, age, religion, and all types of diversities. How wonderful a world where exclusion is absent because true inclusion will be the norm.