Design Your Health expands safe space for PWDs

Unilab Foundation's first health and wellness fair was made even more special with the talent and contribution of differently-abled individuals.

ULF championed inclusion during Design Your Health, where PWDs participated as concessionaires, service crew members, artists, and volunteers.

Thirteen Persons with Autism (PWAs) were able to showcase their exceptional talent in painting through the art exhibit and silent auction. The exhibit featured 53 pieces of artwork. The art exhibit is curated by Vico’s ARTISM Gallery, which hones and features exceptional painters with autism. The gallery is inspired by the work of “Mr. Proudly Autistic” Vico Cham. Cham is a Unilab Foundation employee, Apolinario Mabini 2016 PWD of the Year Awardee, international speaker and ambassador, and recently awarded 2016 International Naturally Autistic People Special Recognition for Visual Arts in Vancouver, Canada.

Six persons with autism and persons with Down syndrome worked as service crew members. They were in charge of the event registration, pledge wall, and art exhibit. The crew members were from Unilab Foundation's partner intervention center, Independent Living Learning Center (ILLC). They were hired from Project Inclusion’s jobseeker pool.

Six PWDs and PWD groups joined other merchants and participated as concessionaires, including the Shine Special Education Center; ILLC; Valenzeula Special Education Center (VALSPED Center); Therapy Works Center; Special Hands Creative featuring Clariz Caballero and Jill Ignacio; and Jessica Sapliago. They showcase various products made by persons of different abilities like cookies, homemade kitchen spices, posters and postcards, handmade accessories, and other arts and crafts.

PWDs were able to exhibit not just talent and skills, but also the heart to help. Twenty-six Deaf and persons hard of hearing volunteered to be part of the Design Your Health organizing team. They helped out as ushers, workshops assistants, technical assistants, and social media managers. The volunteers were students from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies.