It has become more difficult to find employment for persons with disabilities (PWDs) because of COVID-19. Prior to the lockdowns, there had been plans on how to transition a few of my adult patients to paid job positions. Those did not materialize, unfortunately. Businesses have been downsizing or closing, thus making it difficult for them to hire PWDs.
People consequently had to turn to the Internet to find work opportunities. One of the ways in which ordinary workers earned income online is by investing in non-fungible token (NFT) projects. An NFT is a piece of data that contains original digitized artwork such as an image, gif, video, sound, or even an article. Each NFT is limited in quantity, unlike virtual artworks that can be downloaded for unlimited number of times for free or by paying for them. The NFT creator sets the number of each NFT that can be sold. This can drive the NFT’s price higher than what you’ll pay for a gif on Canva or a photo on iStock.
Prevocational Training in Web 3.0
PWDs and their families are legally allowed to digitize the task-oriented activities (TOAs) that PWDs do during therapy sessions to sell them as NFTs. For example, the mom of a teen who has Autism Spectrum Disorder can take a picture of a painting that the child did during occupational therapy (OT) and sell 100 copies of it as an NFT on OpenSea. Another example would be a patient with Spinal Cord Injury recording himself as he weaves a basket. He can turn that video into an NFT that's worth 0.0006 ETH (around 95 pesos) per copy. Collections of NFTs can also theoretically be used to create games that can improve PWDs’ skills while paying them for playing those games.
If creating NFTs takes off among PWDs, it might become part of occupational therapists’ transition plans. This will entail us to teach our patients how to mint their TOAs as NFTs, market their Web 3.0 products, and manage their cryptocurrencies. Using Web 3.0 technologies might even become a sub-specialty in OT. It’s possible for this development to create new standardized assessments, interventions, and maybe even certification programs. Disability advocacy groups might even host art galleries that showcase PWD-created images that are NFTs instead of physical paintings.
Take note though that NFTs are very risky investments.
A Major Warning
NFTs are sold using ether (ETH), a cryptocurrency on a blockchain called Ethereum. You can purchase a fraction of an ETH and sell an NFT for less than 1 ETH. That’s how ordinary people developed and earned from their NFTs even if 1 ETH is around 3000 USD.
If you buy an NFT, you’re one of the very few owners who can use that original artwork in any manner that you like. You can include it in your posters, blog articles, YouTube videos, Boom Learning cards, home programs, etc. You may also sell an NFT that you bought. Moreover, the value of your NFT goes up when the price of ETH increases. So people who have at least 1 ETH either by profiting off their NFTs or by buying ETH in the early years have made a fortune.
On the other hand, it’s possible that a PWD might spend hundreds of thousands of pesos on buying ETH and paying fees to mint his NFT only for people to ignore it. Or what he earns can still be far lower than what he spent. Moreover, the price of ETH can easily go down because its value is volatile. These will incur major losses for the PWD. That lost money could’ve been used to fund a family outing to Boracay or an enrollment in a vocational school where the PWD can learn profitable skills. Worst, the PWD might lose all of his savings not just because no one buys his NFT but also if his digital earnings get stolen through hacking.
So should PWDs as well as their families and therapists invest in NFTs? Well, each person’s situation is different. They ought to consult their financial advisors, carefully study cryptocurrencies, and reflect on their goals before making a decision. As for me, I’m very risk-averse when it comes to money. That's why I don’t see myself buying and creating an NFT this year. If ever I’ll invest in an NFT, I’ll choose one that I can use for my blog, therapy sessions, worksheets, or personal projects. That will make the NFT useful and profitable for me even when the price of ETH goes down.
(Photo by Kanchanara)
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