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The Trust for the Americas was witnessing a problem of nearlyepidemic proportions: Some 80% to 90% of the 50 million people withdisabilities in Latin America were unemployed due to widespreaddiscrimination and limited access to rehabilitation, education andtraining tailored to their needs. As a result, many disabledindividuals were living in poverty. Those statistics prompted the Trust for the Americas to implementthe Partnership in Opportunities for Employment through Technologyin the Americas (POETA) Accessible program in 2004. The nonprofit organization, an affiliate of the Organization ofAmerican States, started with a pilot project in Guatemala, whereit used Microsoft's Unlimited Potential digital literacy curriculumto train disabled individuals to enter a competitive employmentmarket. The program has grown over the past eight years, and today itprovides dozens of training centers throughout Latin America.Partnerships with public and private sector organizations enablePOETA to train people with disabilities and at-risk youth at thecenters, and to promote social inclusion through awareness efforts. The Trust equips each center with up-to-date adaptive technologythat enables disabled individuals to take full advantage of theprogram's curriculum. These resources include voice recognition andscreen reader software, adaptive keyboards and mice, electronicpointing devices, sit-and-touch systems, hand wands, and mouthsticks. This range of technologies makes POETA unique amongtechnology training programs, many of which remain limited forindividuals with disabilities in Latin America. The program measures its success based on the number ofparticipants trained in information and communication technologyskills and job-readiness skills per quarter, as well as the numberof students graduating per term and the number of graduates whohave obtained employment. It also considers, among other measures,the impact each center has on the lives of participants and itseffect on a community as a whole. The organization has experienced challenges in reaching its goals,particularly around placing POETA participants in jobs andfurthering their education. To address this, the Trust requires itslocal partners to conduct targeted analyses of the job markets intheir communities so the centers can focus their technical skillstraining programs and curricula to meet local workforce demands. Since its inception in 2004, POETA has trained more than 70,000individuals with disabilities, increasing employment and educationopportunities for them. It has also partnered with more than 200businesses and universities and has achieved employment placementrates of up to 30%. Read more about the 2012 Computerworld Honors Laureates . Read more about Management and Careers in Computerworld's Management and Careers Topic Center. We are high quality suppliers, our products such as China 7 Inch Touchpad Tablet PC , Android Touchpad Tablet PC Manufacturer for oversee buyer. To know more, please visits Mini Clip Mp3 Player.
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