The Trust for the Americas, has a robust and highly respected track record in addressing Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as tools to empower the population with disabilities.
It was precisely with this population that, in 2004, the Program for Economic Opportunities through Technology in the Americas (POETA) began its activities in Guatemala. These 17 years of work have established us as specialists in this field. For this reason, The Trust for the Americas was invited to participate in the ”Zero Project 2021 Virtual Conference for Latin America and the Spanish-Speaking World: Employment and ICT.”.
On September 29 and 30, the Zero Project conference brought together 110 experts from more than 30 countries. Representing The Trust for the Americas, Pierina Nepote, Senior Project Manager at POETA, and Maite Capra, Regional Coordinator, participated in the ”Employability in Technology” conference. Together, they discussed the methodology used in POETA DigiSpark, which we developed—in partnership with Microsoft Philanthropy and CILSA (a local FSP partner based in Argentina)—to promote the full inclusion of people with disabilities in the workforce.
This event was able to be held virtually with total accessibility, thanks to the Descúbreme Foundation and Essl Foundation , which, in this second edition, focuses on the efforts being made in Latin America. There were more than 20 hours of talks and panel discussions in which it was made very clear that cutting-edge ICTs—using accessible platforms—combined with educational initiatives such as The Trust, mediators who work with human diversity, the creation of networks of inclusive companies, and the adoption of public policies promoting employment—that greater labor equity will be achieved every day. We are on the right track.