GIJIMAAST AND NEC PHILIPS DONATE VOICE SYSTEM

Taken from an article  published by 'Computing SA'

GijimaAst has donated a voice-activated NEC Philips PABX switchboard - especially designed for blind or partially sighted users - to the KwaZulu-Natal Society for the Blind in South Africa. NEC Philips added three SV60E Comfort operator consoles with blind operator functionality to this donation.

The ICT company will also provide a training programme to the organisation to transfer switchboard skills in a bid to create employment opportunities for visually impaired people. "This offer is not simply dropping off a switchboard and telling us to get on with it," says Merle Brown, GM of the society, "It signifies real career opportunities for visually impaired people".

Michele Goate, deputy regional executive KZN at GijimaAst, says that blind and visually impaired people are equally entitled to earn a living, but are often discriminated against because of their impairment. "With modern technology such as the NEC Philips voice-activated PABX, people with disabilities have the opportunity to find gainful employment and we would like to be in a position to make this possible. We owe it to society," says Goate.

She points out that with the rapid growth in the call centre and BPO industry in SA, a greater need for contact centre operators has arisen, and she believes that the industry will benefit from the training centre that has now been established.

Pictured at the handing-over ceremony of the PABX system and assiciated training material from Gijima AST to the KZN Society for the Blind:from left Brian Almanza, board member; Trevor Macdonals, Financial Manager; Hugo de Wet, Chris Watts, GijimaAST; Merle Brown, KZN Society, Karien Ciggaar, NEC Philips in Holland; Bobby Pillay, KZN Society; Michele Goate, GijimaAST.

The upgraded PABX now provides a platform that includes a voice synthesiser aiming to offer a user-friendly operation for blind or visually impaired operators. It audibly tells users if the call is external, internal or a call returning to the switchboard for further attention.

Brown adds that employment opportunities for visually impaired people will be created through the organisation’s Rehabilitation Services Department. "Our mission is to train blind people to become independent, employable and self-sufficient and, where companies can assist, we gratefully accept the opportunities. In line with our mission, we also offer one-on-one computer training to visually impaired people using audio-based software."

The switchboard at the KZN Society for the Blind serves about 25 extensions and has been manned by Bobby Pillay for the past 20 years. He will now take on the additional role of training blind people.