Blind SA thrilled after court victory for 50 visually impaired students
The students, who are volunteer treasurers at Blind SA took the matter to the Equality Court after the ICB wouldn’t adapt its online platform to accommodate the students.
CAPE TOWN - Non-profit organisation, Blind South Africa (Blind SA) says it's thrilled after achieving a court victory for 50 visually impaired students, in an alleged case of discrimination.
The students, who are volunteer treasurers at Blind SA are doing a course in financial management at the Institute for Certified Bookkeepers (ICB).
They took the matter to the Equality Court after the ICB wouldn’t adapt its online platform to accommodate the students.
Blind SA said the institute gave the visually impaired students laptops with special software, but the platform was deemed inaccessible. Attorneys for Blind SA said after ICB was approached, they refused to make the platform accessible.
Earlier this week, Blind SA and the ICB reached an out of court settlement for the students to continue their studies.
Blind SA’s president Christo de Klerk said the settlement was a major victory for the visually impaired students.
"The rights of these 50 unemployed blind persons have been respected and confirmed by the court so that they can find their education that will empower them to be employed."
The terms of the settlement allow the students to opt for paper-based or online examinations, with the assistance of scribes or sighted readers.