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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

Intervarsity: Kovsies vs Pukke - 4 & 5 August 2006
2006-08-03

Programme

Friday 4 August 2006:

RUGBY:   16:15   Medix vs PUK Engineer  UFS field 5
  17:30  Armentum vs Heimat   UFS field 4
  17:30   Vishuis vs De Wilgers UFS field 5
  18:45 Karee vs Patria    UFS field 4
  18:45 Veritas vs Overs  UFS field 5
  20:00 Reitz vs Veritas  UFS field 4
  20:00 JBM vs Villagers   UFS field 5
       
NETBALL:  15:00  UFS 2 vs PUK 3   UFS court 1 (Callie Human)
  16:15   UFS 1 vs PUK 2   UFS court 1 (Callie Human)
  16:15   UFS(Qwa-Qwa) vs PUK o/19B   UFS court 2 (Callie Human)
  17:30   UFS 3 vs PUK 4    UFS court 1 (Callie Human)
  18:45  Kovsies vs PUK  UFS court 1 (Callie Human)
       
BADMINTON:   17:00  UFS vs PUK ( 2 SASSU TEAMS)   UFS Badminton Hall
       
SOCCER:    17:30  UFS 2(Qwa-Qwa) vs PUK 2      UFS field 6
  17:30   UFS ladies vs PUK ladies   Shimla Park
  19:30   Toast    Shimla Park
  19:40   UFS 1 vs PUK 1(men)     Shimla Park
       
Saturday: 5 August 2006:  
       
GOLF:     7:30     UFS vs PUK (8 men)     Bloemfontein GC 
       
VOLLEYBALL:  8:30  UFS men vs PUK men     UFS Badminton Hall
       
SQUASH:   8:30  UFS ladies vs PUK ladies     UFS Sqauah Courts
  8:30  UFS men vs PUK men    UFS Squash Courts
       
CHESS:     8:30  UFS vs PUK (5 men & 3 ladies)    Kovsiesport boardroom
       
CROSS COUNTRY:   8:30 UFS vs PUK (5 men & 4 ladies)  Pellies Park
       
BASKETBALL:  8:30   UFS ladies vs PUK ladies     UFS Basketball court
  9:30   UFS men vs PUK men       UFS Basketball court
       
TENNIS:  8:30  UFS ladies vs PUK ladies (8 players)   UFS Tennis courts
  8:30  UFS men vs PUK men   (8 players)   UFS Tennis courts
       
HOCKEY:     8:30   Sonnedou vs Bellatrix      UFS Oval 2
  8:30  Roosmaryn vs Eikenhof    UFS Oval 1
  9:30 Vergeet My Nie vs Wanda      UFS Oval 2
  9:30 Emily Hobhouse vs Wag-‘n-Bietjie   UFS Oval 1
  10:30  Wag-‘n-Bietjie vs Heide     UFS Oval 1
       
NETBALL:   8:30    Kestell vs Heide     UFS court 4 
  8:30   Medix vs Wanda 2       UFS court 3 
  8:30  Roosmaryn vs Minjonet     UFS court 2
  8:30  Marjolein vs Karlien    UFS court 1
  9:30    Soetdoring vs Kasteel   UFS court 4
  9:30    Sonnedou vs Dinki    UFS court 3
  9:30    Wag-‘n-Bietjie vs Wag-‘n-Bietjie   UFS court 2
  9:30    Vergeet My Nie vs Vergeet My Nie     UFS court 1
  10:30 Emily Hobhouse vs Wanda   UFS court 1
       
RUGBY:       10:10    UFS Colts vs PUK academy      UFS field 5
  10:10    UFS Ritsims vs PUK 3      UFS field 4
  10:10    UFS U.19 vs PUK U.19      Shimla Park
  11:40   UFS U.21 vs PUK U.21    Shimla Park
  13:10    Irawas vs Ibbies  Shimla Park
  14:40  Toast    Shimla Park
  15:00  Shimlas vs PUKKE   Shimla Park

                                      

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