Home Affairs offers info in braille

Home Affairs Deputy Minister Malusi Gigaba presented the braille version of the brochure to the South African National Council for the Blind (SANCB), on Wednesday, as part of the events to mark the annual International Day for People with Disabilities, which kicked off Monday.

Speaking to BuaNews on Wednesday in Garankuwa at the handing over of the braille brochure, Deputy Minister Gigaba said the department is currently trying to reach out to all sectors of society, especially the disabled.

“Our approach is to ensure that all receive government services in a manner convenient to them,” he said.

Minister Gigaba added that as part of their strategy, the department was also working towards ensuring that all its offices are accessible for the disabled people.

“We want to ensure that all people get services with ease and know where to get services,” he said.

This is a milestone for the Department of Home Affairs to produce braille for the first time to cater for the blind in all its nine civic services and products that range from birth registration, marriages and passport applications.

Co-ordinator of Community Development at the SANCB Chris Bhudeli said he was pleased with the braille version as it will make their life a lot easier.

“We will no longer have to rely on other people to read for us information about Home Affairs,” he said, adding that he wish all government departments could do the same.

Bhudeli said government information should be made available in audio to cater for those who cannot read braille.

“Not all of us can read braille, audio will cater for such people,” he said.

Rita Ngobeni, a counselor at the Itereleng Workshop for the Blind told BuaNews that her life will be much easier with the braille version of the “Know your Home Affairs Services.”

Article published courtesy of BuaNews