“Join us against ableism”. This is the theme of a large campaign launched by TIM on the National Day for Fighting Disability, September 21st, with the purpose of contributing to a more inclusive society. Ableism is the prejudice and discrimination against people with disabilities and in order to raise awareness and engage more people, the company made available the “Taboo-Free Deficiency Guide” and updated the Conscious Keyboard app, which alerts users on the use of discriminatory words and expressions in our daily lives, explains their origins and suggests alternatives. In addition, the operator invited influencers to discuss this topic in their social media.
According to data from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), approximately 45 million people have some kind of deficiency in Brazil – intellectual, auditive, visual, physical or multiple. Despite the fight for the rights of people with disabilities showing progress, there are still social barriers that need to be eliminated and there is a lot to be done to remove the invisibility of this population.
Released last year, TIM Conscious Keyboard acts as a social spell checker and it already alerted users on racists and LGBT-phobic terms. In the new version, made available for free for customers of any operator, over 180 ableist words and phrases were included. The tool is only visible when the user types a text in social media or communication apps, for instance, and highlights improper expressions. By clicking on them, the Conscious Keyboard explains why they are considered prejudicial and offers options to replace them.
On its social media, the company is giving room to names such as digital influencer Pequena Lo and the taekwondo fighter Ícaro Miguel, addressing the topic of inclusion of people with disabilities in the job market and on how to make social media more inclusive, subtitling videos and describing pictures, for instance.
Instituto TIM
Instituto TIM also embraced the inclusion of people with disabilities cause. It carries out the project Bateria TIM since 2010, providing musical education for over 50 children, teenagers and adults in Rio de Janeiro, with or without disabilities. Through music, the project offers accessibility and inclusion for its participants. The group counts with a drum instructor, musicians and Brazilian Sign Language (Libras) interpreters.
ESG Commitment
TIM works actively to promote an increasingly inclusive organizational culture, with equal opportunities to all people. The topic of people with disabilities is part of the company’s diversity program, which values different skill types as leverage to business innovation and sustainability. The commitment is also part of the company’s Strategic Plan that comprises the ESG criteria – Environment, Social and Governance as a business strategy. In September, the company adhered to the Business Network for Social Inclusion (REIS), a group that gathers over 100 companies committed to the inclusion of people with disabilities in the job market.
