AT LEAST 13 tour guides have been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DoT) and are now ready to provide special tours around Manila’s historical spots for deaf visitors. “Having tour guides skilled with knowledge of sign language and an understanding of the services needed by persons with disabilities (PWDs) is a must under the DoT’s thrust for barrier-free tourism. Not only will this provide quality service to tourists with special needs, but more importantly, this will create opportunities, which are the very essence of an inclusive tourism industry,” Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said in a statement released yesterday. Ms. Puyat added that the DoT aims to conduct more similar training programs. “We’re working with the National Council on Disability Affairs. We’re identifying areas where there is a notable number of population of deaf and mute,” she said. The training program is an initiative of the DoT’s Office of Industry Manpower Development (OIMD) in partnership with the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde. At present, there are only 27 accredited deaf tour guides who passed through the OIMD training.

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