MANILA -- Business process outsourcing (BPO) firm Accenture on Wednesday said it is providing its employees who are persons with disabilities (PWDs) with new tools to help them thrive in the workplace.

At a media briefing, Accenture Inclusion and Diversity Lead for Global Infrastructure Shared Services Rudy Guiao said they have started giving blind employees We Walk, a smart cane that can be paired with a phone app that helps employees with walking directions to their home or office.

The cane and app also work together with a bone conduction headset, which allows sound to travel through one's facial bones before going straight to the inner ear.

Meanwhile, for the hearing-impaired, Accenture has launched the • Inclusive Virtual Experience for Everyone app. When used with a virtual reality headset, the app translates speech to text or sign language, and vice-versa.

This is on top of the assistive tools Accenture already provides its PWD employees, such as color contrast and Braille-stickered keyboards, manual and automated wheelchairs, and software that translates voice responses into typed text during video and conference calls.

Aside from assisting their PWD employees, Guiao also said they provide their employees with the help they need for their mental health.

"We have iTalk. iTalk is another partner of Accenture wherein we can actually talk to them, we have counselors that are available 24/7 to give counseling to our employees who are in need of guidance, advice from professionals," he said.

He also said they have apps embedded in their Microsoft Teams platform that enable employees to listen to calming sounds while at work.

Guiao said more than 3 percent of Accenture employees in the Philippines are PWDs.

Asked if they want to increase this number, Guiao said, "We have an unwavering commitment to continue to provide opportunities, it’s equal opportunities for everyone."

"We are not discriminating, we are open for any genders, any disabilities. So whatever growth opportunities that we have an Accenture, it’s always open for everyone. And we can confidently say that when you join Accenture, we celebrate the uniqueness of each individual," Guiao said.