Marx Melencio, Blind.
Having a wife and a 3-year old
Entrepreneur. Hero.
I was buying fried rice at a
neighborhood food stall in the
Philippines when I was gunned down.
It was November 2003. I went from a
man to a cowering little boy.
The first bullet went through my chest.
After a blink of a second, a bullet went
through my head from a gun poked
straight at my left temple.
Left totally blind and without possibility
of treatment, I was broken.
I badly wanted to regain what I had lost.
A month after checking out of the
hospital, I did nothing but wait for a
miracle.
Coping with Total Blindness
There will be changes, but this doesn’t
mean everything just took a turn for the
worst. A good friend introduced me to
JAWS, a screen reader.
Being quite savvy with computer
hardware and software myself, I was
browsing the Internet and creating a
Friendster account in no time.
I needed to continue with my studies at
UP. Learning about UP’s virtual learning
system, I enrolled.
Taking up all the units I was lacking
from my science degree in mathematics,
I graduated based on credited units at
UP with a liberal arts degree in Political
Science last Oct, 2005.
daughter, I needed a job. Hearing about
a medical transcription course being
offered by a computer school for the
blind, I went to ATRIEV last Oct, 2005.
ATRIEV and the Blind Community
Having no money to take up the medical
transcription course, I volunteered as an
assistant website developer at Atriev in
exchange for a discount. Working on the
Atriev website while taking up medical
transcription classes, I was introduced
to the blind community.
After a few weeks, I was out with a pair
of dark sunglasses and a cane. I knew I
was totally blind a couple of years back,
but after a few weeks at ATRIEV, I
seemed to walk the walk and talk the
talk – in a real blind man’s way.
Medical transcription wasn’t for me. In
order to excel in this field, I needed a
more intensive medical background than
my high school biology classes and my
previous trips to the hospital. The
medical transcription course wasn’t
enough at least for me.
Job Hunting
I needed to recalculate my options and
draft something geared towards my
strengths. I sent my CV via email to
several customer support companies.
They all phoned me up, and asked me
to go to their office for an interview and
an exam. I went with my wife.
For every customer support company
we went to, they asked me to go to their
HR office. They told me their exams
weren’t accessible to blind people.
Before going to every customer support
company, I explicitly told them over the
phone that I was totally blind.
Their exams were to be taken on a
computer. I told them I had a software
application that can allow me to access
the exams on the computer, and they
told me they couldn’t install it. I told
them the installation CD was in my bag,
and I could install it with my eyes closed
– of course, pun was intended by all
means.
They told me they didn’t have the
hardware to support my software, and I
told them I had a headset in my bag,
and that was all I needed to make a
mid-end computer accessible to me.
When they finally told me that they’d just
call me up as soon as they have
everything sorted out, I stepped back.
My wife was fuming mad. I told her it
was better that way since they all knew
they had to think of blind people in the
near future.
After a couple of months, I went into
seclusion. By the way, the phone calls
never came.
A Blind Writer
On the last day of RBI’s pre-
employment training program, their
employment officer took our CVs and
distributed it to potential employers. 3
days thereafter, Intelligraph called me in
for an exam and a job interview. The
company is a tri-media service provider.
Barely a week after attending RBI’s pre-
employment training program, I had a
job as a writer.
The Business Model
While working at Intelligraph as a writer
for a couple of months, I had a plan.
Carefully studying the marketing and
production systems of the top
companies in the outsourcing industry, I
reckoned I could start small in the same
industry but with a different business
model. Admiring my former boss’
business and marketing skills, I chose a
niche he avoided – the IT industry.
Grayscale
I turned my adversity into an
opportunity. Grayscale started out
without any capital investment other
than time, a couple of computers, an
Internet connection, and a place that
also acted as our home. It started out
last Sept. 2006 with manpower
resources worth 4 people – me, my wife,
a young UP professor based in Bicol,
and a college student in India.
After several days, Grayscale had
acquired the services of a doctor based
in India and a lawyer living in Davao.
After a couple of weeks, Grayscale
commissioned the services of a small
research and writing firm in India
populated by 6 people and a multimedia
outfit in South Africa manned by 7
people. There had been losses in
manpower resources because of then
developing managerial, production, and
quality assurance systems, but these
are the normal growing pains faced by
most emerging companies.
It was a misfortune that brought about
good opportunities. Today, Grayscale
has 7 production departments
collectively worth 75 people, 3 websites,
a virtual office with a document
management system developed by a
Liverpool-based company, 7 long-term
contracts in which 2 are with prominent
software security companies, and
substantial plans to expand with
services for a few specialized niches in
the IT industry. Looking back, I was
given a lemon in life, and I turned it into
lemonade, so let’s all have a drink!
Grayscale’s Social Responsibility
Grayscale is a company that
incorporates equal opportunities on its
hiring processes. Today, 14 blind people
(including myself) and 5 wheelchair-
bound individuals are presently working
as writers, researchers, validators, and
administrative staff for Grayscale. 8
wheelchair-bound people and a young
lady afflicted with cerebral palsy have
recently started working for Grayscale
as writers, researchers, editors, and
administrative staff for a new long-term
account. A young blind man and 4
wheelchair-bound individuals are
currently applying as writers for
Grayscale under the new account.
Grayscale continues to provide support
for RBI’s recent 1-week writing courses.
This initiative was launched last Dec
2006 at the CICT building, and another
writing course followed a couple of
months later. Early March 2008, RBI
and a trainee who was part of the 1st
batch of participants facilitated another
1-week writing course in Cebu. Another
1-week writing course is slated after the
next couple of months in Davao – this
time a participant of the Cebu 1-week
training course will facilitate the
program.
Grayscale may not be something big,
but it’s a start. This story is also proof
that we don’t have to give people fish
nor do we only have to teach them how
to fish to a certain extent. Rather, we
should revolutionize the fishing industry
and start from there.
_____
Publish with the kind permission of Marx
Melencio
Owner, Grayscale
Listed below are some of his
recognitions and appearances:
1. Recognized as a success story in
2015 by the World Blind Union (WBU)
and the Canadian National Institute for
the Blind (CNIB): Watch the video here
2. His keynote address at the 2015 ICT
Forum on
Creative Innovation in Accessible
Technology of Resources for the
Blind in the Philippines: Watch the video
here
3. He was recognized by the Philippine
Center
for Entrepreneurship, which is headed
by presidential consultant on
business and entrepreneurship Joey
Concepcion III, as one of the top
25 technopreneurs of the Philippines
last year (2014), and represented
our country about the role of ICT and
business in empowering persons
with disabilities around the world in a
United Nations conference : Watch the
video here
4. His start-up story, which was
produced by the Asia Pacific
Development Center on Disability of the
United Nations: Watch the video here
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
BY ROBERT FROST

Whose woods these are I think I know.

His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer

To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake

To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep,

But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.
 The Darkness
BY DALLAS E. K RYST OF

You would never know it,

The constant pain I feel,
Because in the light of day
It almost isn't real.

Sure, I'll play, I'll laugh,

I'll sing some songs,
But that pain is always lurking
Because it's been here all along.

And when the darkness comes

With its all-consuming power,
It slowly takes my soul
Hour by dreadful hour.

But they tell me that I'm strong enough.

They swear that it gets better.
They say, "If you can just hold out
and bear this stormy weather."

They tell me, "You will be happy one day.

All you need do is fight."
But what they seem to forget
Is after each day comes the night.

And so I act along.

I play my part
While this crushing darkness
Slowly breaks my heart.
 Mysterious Pain
BY PEGGY ST EWART

With her head hung low

and nowhere to go,

she can't explain

this mysterious pain.

It comes on so fast.
How long will it last?

Her heart is just pounding; her head starts to spin.

Please go away; she does not want you in.

She's uncontrollably crying.

It feels like she's dying.

Her body is trembling; her hands start to shake.

She feels so helpless with this horrible ache.

Someone, please help her; make this go away.

She can't stand to feel this way one more day.

Someone, please help her; she's down on her knees.

She's scared and helpless and hopes no one sees.

With her head hung low,

not knowing where to go,

she tries to explain

this mysterious pain.
 Bonds of Friendship
BY CRAIG BURK HOLDER
From the day that I first knew you,
Your heart was pure and kind;
Your smile was sweet and innocent,
Your wit was well refined.
The sparkle in your eyes was keen,
Your friendship fast and real;
Soft words were your virtue,
And humor your appeal.
We grew as friends together,
We laughed and shared our dreams;
Along the way crush or two,
Went unrevealed, it seems.
As years rolled on, our paths were split,
Our roads went separate ways;
We each pursued our interests,
That occupied our days.
We soon forgot our youthful bliss,
Of tender carefree years;
We didn't talk or keep in touch,
Throughout life's pain and tears.
Then my darkest hour came,
And tried me to my core;
To save my heart from ruin,
I closed and locked the door.
Then out of every nowhere,
With precise directed cue;
An old familiar smile,
Came slowly into view.
Although much time was gone,
And the die of fate long cast;
It was as if we hadn't missed,
A second of the past.
You listened with attentive care,
And reassured my mind;
That loving hearts are still alive,
With purpose and design.
Deep inside I've locked way,
Emotions yet untold;
As time goes on, and bonds grow strong,
They will all unfold.
So thank you, friend, for taking time,
To demonstrate your love;
It's yet another blessing that,
I'm undeserving of.