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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

Student Bursary Fund Campaign launched: #FundAFuture and make a difference
2016-04-25

Description: Fund a Future logo Tags: Fund a Future

“The single most important investment any country can make is in its people.” – National Development Plan 2030


Video
Student Bursary Fund Campaign booklet (pdf)
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South Africa’s National Development Plan states that universities play a key role in developing our nation. The cost of higher education, though, hinders most of our youth from transcending their circumstances.

In order to help increase the amount of lives transformed through higher education, the University of the Free State (UFS) launched the nation-wide Student Bursary Fund Campaign on Thursday 3 March 2016 in Cape Town.

“I believe the best way to break the cycle of poverty in South African families is to ensure that talented first-generation students gain access to high-quality university degree training,” says Prof Jonathan Jansen, Vice-Chancellor and Rector of the UFS.

Student Bursary Fund Campaign

The campaign aims to raise R100 m to fund talented, deserving students who do not have the financial means to obtain a university degree.

“Championing the Student Bursary Fund Campaign,” Prof Jansen says,“is not only a professional quest, but a deeply personal one for me. The university and I cannot do this alone, though. We need your support and generosity to change the landscape of our youth’s future.”

Your support is crucial

Can your contribution make a difference in a country – a world – filled with need? The answer resonates in the life of each student that has obtained a degree by means of funding.

The impact of your financial support reaches far beyond its monetary value. It pulls families from poverty. It sends forth experts and visionaries into the world. It sets in motion a culture of giving.

It irrevocably changes the futures of individuals, of communities, and ultimately of our country.

Contributions

Each contribution will bring us closer to our goal of R100 m.
Contributions can be deposited into the following account:
ABSA
Account number: 157 085 0721
Branch code: 632 005
Branch name: Business Bank - Bloemfontein
Swift code: ABSAZAJJ

For enquiries or further information:

T: +27(0)51 401 3966 | E: FundAFuture@ufs.ac.za | www.ufs.ac.za

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