MANILA, Philippines — One thing that is bigger than SM’s malls is its heart.  And as the country’s largest mall,  SM City North EDSA has a big heart for the less fortunate – especially those person with disabilities (PWDs).

As early as the 1990s, SM has been supportive of the activities of the National Council on Disability Affairs (NCDA) by providing a venue for its activities through its socio-civic arm, SM Foundation.

The establishment of the SM Committee on Disability Affairs under SM Cares led to partnerships with disabled groups and more focus on the needs of the disabled. And soon, the mall became more disabled friendly as ramps and other facilities were constructed, personnel were trained to take care of its special customers, and events were held in the mall to highlight more consciousness about this sector.  Today, malling is a fun and convenient experience.

Here, NCDA Officer in Charge Mateo Lee; the Foundation of the Rehabilitation of the Disabled President Manuel Agcaoili, National Autism Societyof the Philippines President Dang Koe, Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines President Elmer Lapena, and Francis Choy of the Parents of Visually Impaired Children share with us heartwarming stories about SM City North EDSA’s disabled friendly efforts.

“You can really see SM’s sincerity and willingness to improve the plight of their customers with special needs,” says Manuel Agcaoili, President of the Philippine Foundation for the Rehabilitation for the Disabled. “This can be seen in the mall’s PWD ramps, toilet facilities with handlebars, counters which are accessible to wheelchairs, and phones that are placed lower than usual. Before these, PWDs were having a hard time in the malls.”

“At SM City North EDSA, PWDs find it easy to move around,” he continues, “As such, SM has become a gathering place, a hub for PWDs.  What we appreciate most about the facilities is the attitude of its employees, tenants, and security personnel.  People are no longer just sympathetic, they now empathize with PWDs.”

“SM has always been supportive of our activities,” says NCDA Officer in Charge Mateo Lee. “Just as it is a pioneer in malls, SM is a pioneer in partnerships with PWD-oriented groups.  Today, we can say that SM has become one of the commercial establishments most sensitive to the needs of PWDs.”

“At the time of the unfortunate incident involving the teen with autism, the Autism Society of the Philippines was already getting ready to offer SM assistance in giving autism orientation to their security guards,” says the group’s president Dang Koe.

“But we were pleasantly surprised that SM was thinking not only of giving an orientation on autism, but also invited other disability organizations to participate in this awareness exercise.  Better still, this was not only for security guards, but the entire SM service crew as well.”

For Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines President Elmer Lapena,  “Due to the seminars conducted to enhance awareness of PWDs, the people at the SM malls are very much more understanding and aware of the plight of PWDs.  They look after our children with care and know they are concerned for their safety as well.  We just feel more comfortable when we know that people around our children are much more considerate of them.”

Francis Choy of Parent Advocates of Visually Impaired Children, Inc. also commended SM City North EDSA for its blind-friendly mall provisions such as the privileged lane at the supermarket, the elevator with braille dots, the exclusive comfort rooms for PWDs, and more importantly, the friendly attitude of the salespersons, the cashiers, the guards, and the service crew.

All told, with SM City North EDSA spearheading the SM Supermalls’ commitment to put the needs of special customers at the heart of its corporate social responsibility program, PWDs now can enjoy malling with the rest of their friends and family members.