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09 October 2019 | Story Xolisa Mnukwa | Photo Barend Nagel
Braille Signage
Big on Braille: Members of the Kovsie community who are living with visual impairments can now access directions through the new braille system.

The University of the Free State (UFS) commemorate World Sight Day, which is celebrated annually on the second Thursday of October. The day has been set aside and aimed at drawing attention to blindness and vision. This was originally initiated by the #SightFirstCampaign of the Lions Club International Foundation in 2000. 
The university aims to contribute to the development and social justice of all students through the production of globally competitive graduates. Thus, the development and implementation of co-curricular programmes, activities, services, and mutual infrastructure will allow for humanising daily lived experiences among students, which are essential for universal access, student academic success, social behaviour, engagement, and an inclusive institutional culture.

With this in mind, the university rolled out a capital project that included the construction of tactile pathways with braille indicators on the pathways, designed to support and caution pedestrians who are blind or visually impaired. The indicators are universally accessible, because it includes Braille and text. The text then gives indications to new students who are also struggling to find their way around campus.

A UFS Bachelor of Social Sciences student who dreams of becoming a social worker, Tshegofatso Nkatlholang, who was born partially blind, but is now completely blind is motivated by the prospect of living a life where she has the ability to help the less fortunate. Her opinion of the construction and implementation of the new tactile pathways on the UFS Bloemfontein Campus is that they are extremely helpful. She went on to say, “That is my road, and I am grateful for a university that strives to operate an inclusive infrastructural environment where I don’t feel sidelined.”
Kovsie student Keamogetswe Mbele was born partially blind with very low vision, eventually losing her eyesight. She explained that she had no knowledge of the newly built braille indicators on the tactile pathways, but that she felt appreciative of the university’s initiative to constitute an inclusive academic and infrastructural environment for all students on campus. Motivated by her personal goals of independence and financial freedom, ‘Kamo’, as her peers refer to her, is determined to live a prosperous academic life throughout the course of her studies at the UFS.

According to Mookgo Moloi, a Kovsie student who was not born blind but gradually lost her sight at the age of 15, said, “Life on campus is very caring”. She reflected on the opportunities, as well as the technical and emotional support that the Center for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) has provided her, which has made her academic career a lot easier, and more advantageous for her to graduate. 
CUADS further strives to facilitate, create opportunities, and enhance students’ understanding of multiple intersections and ways of being that are consistent with human rights and the principles of social justice.




News Archive

UFS students complete internship with FIFA TV
2010-06-30

Here is the group of students from the University of the Free State (UFS) who are working as interns at the Free State Stadium as part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ host broadcast operations. With them are Ms Dineo Gaofhiwe (far left) from the Division: Research Administration at the UFS and Dr Choice Makhetha (far right), Special Assistant to the Rector and Vice-Chancellor. The group received certificates for successfully completing the training programme.
Photo: Supplied


A group of ten students from the University of the Free State (UFS), together with students from the Central University of Technology (CUT), are working as interns at the Free State Stadium as part of the 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa™ host broadcast operations.

Host Broadcast Services (HBS) has offered an internship on behalf of FIFA TV during the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ to around 330 students enrolled at South African tertiary institutes in each of the nine host cities. Successful students were taught about host broadcasting, TV production and event management, as well as the role they would fulfil during the event. After a final selection, an internship contract for the 2010 FIFA World Cup was signed with each student.

Positions ranging from assisting media rights licensees at each commentary tribune, to working in the production centre at the International Broadcast Centre (IBC), to assisting in coordinating the logistics of the host broadcast production teams have been filled.The programme is accredited by the Media, Advertising, Publishing, Printing and Packaging Sector Training Authority. All successful students will receive credits relevant to particular unit standards set out by the South African Qualification Authority. This gives each intern a huge advantage when next applying for employment.

 

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