Vodacom launches Braille version
In move to bolster inclusive access
MOSA MAOENG
MASERU – Lack of assistive devices and access to information usually hinders people with disabilities from access to the right education – as accessibility is not a privilege but a fundamental human right. This was highlighted by the Lesotho National League of the Visually Impaired Persons (LNLVIP), Keketso Mangope, during the Vodacom Lesotho Foundation (VLF) launch of the Braille version of the Vodacom Protection Code as well as the Vodacom Lesotho Foundation’s impact booklet on Tuesday this week.
The production of a braille version of the protection code and the VLF impact booklet is a direct result of last year’s consultation with the disabled community which provided recommendation on how to ensure that Vodacom Lesotho’s products and services are inclusive and do not disadvantage person with disabilities.
Mangope expressed hope that the braille version of the protection code will also be transcribed into audio formats for other people with different disabilities. He quoted the Article 9 of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities which focuses on accessibility, also urging other documents such as the Persons with disability equity Act of 2021 to also be in braille version so as to be readable by all.
He urged for cooperation between responsible entities working with persons with disabilities for access to information especially to persons with disability.
Refiloehape Sesinyi a representative of the Lesotho National Federation of Organisations of the Disabled (LNFOD) applauded Vodacom Lesotho for its continued pursuit to enable access to information and fulfillment of their inclusion mandate – for which they are appreciative.
She said access to information is important to reach all developmental goals such as access to education, empowerment of women and minority populations, noting that Lesotho has taken access to information to the next level.
She referred to the Persons with Disability Equity Act of 2021 states that every Mosotho has the right to access to information. She noted with concern that since time immemorial, people with disabilities have been left behind in so many areas due to lack of access to information.
Sesinyi was elated that through learning in braille, access to information has been enabled and seen men and women with disabilities learned enough and holding strategic positions – cementing the reality that access to information has the key.
“Last year, LNFOD made a gender gap analysis study which focused on challenges that affect people with disabilities. The study covered four thematic areas including access to education, access to sexual, reproductive and health rights, GBV reporting and response as well as participation in the economic empowerment. In all these thematic areas, people with disabilities were left behind.”
Speaking at the same event, Vodacom Lesotho Managing CEO, Mohale Ralebitso, said it is not a secret that Vodacom Lesotho is committed to inclusivity, stating that they will continue doing more and more to ensure that they do inclusive by default noting that they want to make all their customers to make informed choices.
He said they intend to support communities not just with connectivity but with a means to self-improvement.
Ralebitso said: “We were given opportunities in schools, work to mention a few to live up to our visions for our lives, let us continue then to working together being amongst the empowered to ensure that we empower others.
The work we are going to do is to ensure that the entire Lesotho systems works towards inclusion, there has to be a society of imperative.”
Ministry of Social Development Director Disability Services, ‘Mathabo Pama, said the braille version of the protection code marks a bold and meaningful step towards the realisation of the rights of persons with disabilities in the country.
She said the booklets not only tell the story of VLF progress and work since 2022 in promoting accessibility and inclusion, but are in themselves a symbol of inclusion in action.
Pama noted that this ensures that no citizen is left behind in accessing vital information along the rights as consumers and it aligns closely with the ministry’s collective vision of ‘an inclusive society’ where all people regardless of disability can participate fully and equally.
She said the initiative is not just about access to information but about dignity, empowering persons with visual disabilities to make informed choices, to advocate for their rights and to engage meaningfully in the national development.
“The government, through the ministry, continues to advocate for inclusive development and implementation of the Persons with Disability Equity Act No 24 of 2021. We believe that true progress can only be measured by how well we uplift and include the most marginalized among us.
We, therefore, commend VLF for its leadership and partnership in advancing disability inclusion,” Pama said.
She concluded by pointing out that to the visually impaired community present, their voice is heard and their rights are valid and their access to information is not a favour but their right.
She said the ministry stands with them and remains committed to a Lesotho that is accessible, inclusive and just for all.
