History
How did POETA Accessible started
In 2004, the Trust for the Americas launched a pilot program with Microsoft through its Unlimited Potential (UP) program to create technology and job skills training centers for marginalized persons in Guatemala...
In 1999, the Organization of the American States (OAS) signed the Inter-American Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. The Trust works with the OAS to promote the rights of people with disabilities and to improve quality of life by implementing adaptive technology in vulnerable communities. This initiative consequently trained more than 500 people, some of whom became employed and others started their own business.
Due to the first center's successful results, the POETA project started to spread significantly to other Latin American countries. As a result, other centers in El Salvador, Panama, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Argentina and Mexico were opened to work in defending the needs of persons with disabilities and gaining a wider presence. POETA began to include other vulnerable populations, such as youth at risk.
In the years after the first center was opened, the program has been increasing its presence and was implemented in Honduras, Venezuela (2006), Dominican Republic and in the Caribbean Islands (2007). There are currently 52 training centers located in 18 countries.
