IN making SM a ‘Mall for All,’ the SM Cares Program on Disability Affairs now opens its door for all PWDs to business opportunities. Wellness shops around SM now offer therapeutic massages owned and operated by visually impaired persons. Kultura, one of its merchants also launched ‘Kultura Filipino’s Crafts for a Cause’ program that features products made by underprivileged members of the society and trained by various foundations through livelihood programs aimed at enriching their lives. Products made by PWDs are also sold in SM Department Stores and SM Supemarkets. There are also employment opportunities for PWDs in the malls as attendants in elevators, comfort rooms, ticket booths, and , sales personnel of tenants.

SM malls serve as a stage for showcasing artistic endeavors such as musical shows by blind musicians, performances by mobility-impaired dancers, and national celebrations by different disability sectors. SM also upgraded its recreation facilities to allow PWDs to enjoy the same games that normally-able people play. Bowling lanes are now fitted with assistive devices for wheelchair users and the blind. Through SM’s continued partnership with the Autism Society of the Philippines, it holds regular screenings of Sensory Friendly Movies so that children with autism can now enjoy the latest blockbusters with their families. Other SM PWD initiatives are livelihood programs for PWD farmers who can sell their produce to mall customers through a pick-and-pay method, as well as facilities for bowling and ice skating and its Photography with a Difference program.

Annie Garcia, president of SM Supermalls, said since SM malls have facilities that are accessible and barrier-free, its 15,000 locators have a chance of considering employment for PWDs. ‘All these initiatives have transformed our business environment into a community of opportunities open to PWDs, to enjoy bonding moments with their families, to be independent and free, to show their abilities above their disabilities, and an environment friendly to entrepreneurial and employment opportunities,’ Garcia said

Through’ yearly seminars, SM transforms· its front liners such as janitors and security guards into advocates of PWDs. SM also educates tenants and staff to break away the physical and mental barriers that disable customers with special needs and enable them and their families to have a friendlier and more enjoyable shopping experience.

These SM initiatives earned Anvil Awards for CSR excellence from the Public Relations Society in the Philippines (PRSP) and the 2011 Apolinario Mabini’ Award granted by The Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation of the Disabled, Inc, (PFRD), an organization authorized by the Office of the President to recognize companies and individuals that serve PWDs. It is the highest award given to those who service PWDs. SM also gamed the impression of international organizations and the United Nations in New York by discussing SM’s PWD program as a model of sustained corporate social responsibility for people with disabilities.