If you have no disabilities, you may not have
given much thought to the financial, psychological and emotional ramifications
of not being able to do things that perfectly healthy people do automatically.
If you look physically healthy, you may not have any awareness of the painful
discrimination in all areas of life that people with disabilities live with on
a daily basis. Imagine yourself in a wheelchair trying to negotiate a steep
curb, trying to enter a building or some form of transportation, or attempting
to enter a bathroom that fails to accommodate you. Aside from these and
countless similar situations being inconvenient, they are very disempowering.
They send the message that you’re not a worthy human being. People with
intellectual disabilities also suffer similar types of discrimination on a
daily basis. Their challenges are different, but they too are treated in ways
that are very shaming and disempowering.
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| ABLE STORE |
I’m one of many people living with hidden
disabilities. Because I look perfectly healthy and normal, people sometimes
make shaming remarks when I tell them I won’t have the energy to attend their
event or party, that I can’t go home and commute alone, that I need someone
else to assist me to lift a heavy object, or that I can’t seem to see properly
at night.
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| Wella here u one of the girls working for the ABLE Store. |
Helping those with disabilities is one of my
many personal advocacies. I was invited recently to the launch and opening of
the ABLE Store, I immediately said yes without any hesitation. ABLE Store is
the country’s first and only retail store dedicated to hiring differently-abled
teens. It is also the venue where Ablepreneurs (teens with physical and
learning disabilities turned entrepreneurs) sell their specialty items crafted
with love. Thanks to Quality Life Discoveries (QLD) in partnership with Human Nature, their collaboration is dedicated to empowering people with different
types of disabilities, people who in the past times were left behind to waste
away are now thankfully given the type of support that can help them live full
and productive lives.
Thanks to this initiative of
QLD, the goal of achieving maximum level of sustainable independence will give among
those with disabilities the chance and the possibility to live full and productive
lives.
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| Cute little crochet keychains |
The need to work towards
achieving our goals is universal, as setting goals and then working towards
accomplishing them helps make life worthwhile. Goals can be related to work,
athletic endeavours, learning a new skill, or finding a way to more effectively
manage activities of everyday living. Unfortunately, you can’t achieve goals
when barriers prevent you from getting in the door. Worse than that, certain
barriers prevent people with disabilities from even setting goals in the first
place. In my honest opinion, it’s everyone’s benefit to do everything possible
to remove that barrier, because barriers destroy lives and prevent otherwise
productive people from being able to be responsible contributing participants
in society.
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| Human Nature products |
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| Adarna Books for children |
QLD came up with I CAN Program that aims to:
- fill in the gap in service for their teens with special needs who fall between therapy and supported employment
- provide practical and applicable job skills for real world employment
- all students on the program are then offered a job after an assessment of readiness is made, the job is through ABLE store
- teach students independence and a skill set that is unique to a person with disability in entering the workforce
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| Wooden phone cover and wooden watches from Funk Trunk |
They thought offering a pre-vocational program isn't enough, so they’ve
decided to come up with the ABLE STORE. Along with other social
entrepreneurs, they are continuously looking for partners to become enablers—those
willing to help them by doing a “consignment” type of arrangement. They are
tapping social entrepreneurs particularly those that can support them in their
advocacy.
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| Colorful Plush toys from Plush and Play |
Up and coming top quality brands like Plush and Play, Theo and
Philo Artisan Chocolates, MayOwn, Tree Hugger, Funk Trunk, Adarna House, as well as popular
Human Nature brands such as: First Harvest, Pili and Pino and Uncle Frank’s
Coco Nectar and Coco Cider are available at ABLE Store.
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| Recycled and nature friendly Tree Hugger pens and pencils |
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| Homemade jams and preserved stuff |
The ABLE Store also have products made by differently-abled teens who are
making their own products as means of livelihood. Lorenzo’s Sanctuary by Enzo,
a 14-year-old non verbal autism makes organic and gluten-free Guava Tarragon
jams. You can also purchase Caryll’s Kitchen by Caryll, another 14-year-old non
verbal autism who makes awesome pickled bittergourd and papayas as well as
citronella candles. Lastly, you can also find amazing car wood carvings
lovingly made by Franco Cagayat, a 23-year-old autism based in Paete, Laguna.
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| Caryll's Kitchen Gluten free cookies |
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| Caryll's Kitchen's Pickled Bittergourd |
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| Lorenzo's Sanctuary Guava Tarragon Jam |
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| Wood carver Frnaco Cagayat with his wooden car creation. |
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| The diffrently-abled teens ready to serve you at the ABLE Store |
The things you can find a the ABLE Store will be perfect gifts and giveaways for the upcoming Christmas season. Come and check out the ABLE Store, I assure you it will be worth your trip. Not only will you be able to help and support the advocacy and empower our diffrently-abled brothers and sisters, but you'll also sustain the business because they will be able to hire more teens with special needs.
The ABLE Store is located at the Quality Life
Discoveries Special People’s Hub
70 20th Avenue, Project 4, Quezon City
Telephone numbers: (+632) 912-7433
Mobile number: (+63922)8596221
Website: www.qualitylifediscoveries.com
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