All station environments, as well as the trains and buses, are specifically designed to provide easy access for the mobility impaired and to accommodate sight- and hearing impaired passengers.

WHEELCHAIR ACCESS AND MOBILITY-IMPAIRED PASSENGERS

Wheelchair access is provided to all trains, buses, stations, toilets, lifts, fare gates, ticket offices and ticket vending machines.

Non-slip surfaces, handrails and handholds aid people with difficulties in walking, gripping, reaching or balancing.

HEARING- AND SIGHT-IMPAIRED PASSENGERS

The blind and partially sighted are assisted by the following:

• The consistent use of colour contrasts, clear signage, good lighting and non-reflective surfaces.
• Audible as well as visual service announcements.
• Tactile and audible guidance and warning surfaces and systems, where appropriate.

The deaf or hard of hearing are assisted by the following:

• Visual as well as audible announcements.
• Induction loops (earphone jacks) at ticket vending machines.
• Clear signage

HOW TO USE THE SYSTEM

YOUR GAUTRAIN GOLD CARD

Gautrain’s train, bus and parking services are all fully integrated and may be used separately or jointly by transferring from one to another. These services are all accessed by means of a contactless smart card: your Gautrain Gold Card. You can access the station parking facilities without a Gautrain Gold Card if you’re a first time user (you’ll be issued with a paper ticket), but you will need a valid Gautrain Gold Card to use either the trains or the buses or to exit the parking. Please note that cash is not accepted on either the trains or the buses or at parking exit gates.

BUYING YOUR GAUTRAIN GOLD CARD

Gautrain Gold Cards may be purchased from all ticket offices and ticket vending machines at any Gautrain station as well as at selected retail outlets in the vicinity of the bus routes.

A once-off card licence fee of R10 is payable when you purchase your card and cannot be refunded or transferred or used to pay for Gautrain services.

Remember: Ticket vending machines display user instructions in four languages and are equipped with earphone jacks for the audio-impaired.

YOU CAN NOW PURCHASE YOUR GAUTRAIN GOLD CARD FROM THESE SELECTED RETAILERS

Caltex Omega Motors – 562 Andries Street, Berea, Pretoria
Engen Minties- Cnr. Visagie & Bosman Streets, Pretoria
Uncle Faouzi’s Mini Market – 1093 Burnett Street, Hatfield, Pretoria
Varsity Bakery – 293 Lynnwood Road, Menlo Park, Pretoria
Afro Heritage Business Centre – 225 Hamilton Street, Arcadia, Pretoria
Queenswood Superspar – Cnr Stead Avenue & Soutpansberg Road, Queenswood, Pretoria
Spar Centurion – CnrJohn Foster & Logan Avenue, Highveld, Centurion
Shell Amberfield Motors – Cnr Rooihuiskraal & Reddersburg Road, Wierda Park North, Centurion
Super Spar Wierda Park – 402 Theuns van Niekerk Street, Wierda Park, Pretoria
Spar Centurion – Cnr John Foster & Logan Avenue, Highveld, Centurion
Carlswald Spar – Cnr Lever & New Road, Randjiespark, Midrand
Spar Noordwyk – Cnr Lever & Olifantsfontein Road, Noordwyk, Midrand
Sunninghill SuperSpar – Cnr Maxwell Drive & Edison Street, Sunninghill, Johannesburg
Europa Express Melrose – Cnr Crescent & High Street, Melrose, Johannesburg
Rivonia Friendly 7/11 – Cnr 7th Avenue & Rivonia Road, Sandton, Johannesburg
Total William Nicol – 149 William Nicol Drive, Sandton, Johannesburg
Spar Pineslopes – Cnr The Straight & Witkoppen Road, Fourways, Johannesburg
Shop 8 Monte Casino – Corner William Nicol and Witkoppen, Fourways, Johannesburg
Zenex Twin Palms – 14 Kempton Road, Kempton Park, Johannesburg

HOW DO GAUTRAIN GOLD CARDS WORK?

Your Gautrain Gold Card enables you to load a variety of different journey products, ranging from single ‘Pay As You Go’ trips, seven day passes and to 35-day passes, onto the same card and to re-use this card over and over again. You also have the opportunity to register your card with us, which will enable us to blacklist your card should it be lost or stolen. Any unutilised value in the pay-as-you-go section on the lost card can then be transferred to a new card for you. Please note that there is a refund handling fee of R30.

METHODS OF PAYMENT

You can load journey products onto your Gold Card using cash, debit cards or credit cards, and this can be done at all ticket offices and ticket vending machines at any Gautrain station. Only Mastercard and Visa credit cards are accepted at this time.

TWO SECTIONS ON THE GAUTRAIN GOLD CARD

The Purse Section is used for general pay-as-you-go travel on trains or buses or for parking at the station car parks. You can top up the Purse at any station ticket vending machine or ticket office as you need it. The Purse section is automatically debited for whichever service you use. Applicable discounts are automatically credited.

Please note that you need at least R20 available in the pay-as-you-go section of your Gold Card to board any Gautrain bus and at least R20 to enter a station fare gate.

The Period Pass Section stores weekly or monthly travel passes.

FARES

Gautrain has a balanced approach in its fare policy aimed at making the service attractive and affordable to broad sectors of the population without competing with existing public transport modes. Gautrain fares are typically lower than the cost of using your private car for the same journey but more expensive than those of existing taxi, Metrobus and Metrorail fares. Please click here to view fares.

I ONLY TRAVEL OCCASIONALLY AND/OR NOT ALWAYS BETWEEN THE SAME TWO STATIONS

Pay As You Go

I get To travel anywhere at any time using any Gautrain service. You can load up to R2,600 value into the pay-as-you-go on your Gautrain Gold Card.

How it works: The price of the relevant service will be deducted from your ‘Pay As You Go’ every time you check in on a bus, or check out from a train or car park. Customers using more than one Gautrain service within a single journey will automatically enjoy a discounted fare.

Note: You don’t have to register your Gautrain Gold Card in order to use its ‘Pay As You Go’ function.

FOR MORE INFO…. go to WWW.GAUTRAIN.CO.ZA

Thank You Letter

Let me grab this opportunity to extend my full gratitude for the wheelchair that you have given to me. This wheelchair is going to change my life because now it is going to be much easy for me to go every where I want without any help of somebody.

 Because I use to ask people to help me to go with me every where I go, because the wheelchair I was using it was so heavy for me and not in the good condition.  I should admit, that I admired this wheelchair because I am gong to it use everyday. I don’t think that on my on I will able to buy it. I thank you once again for such a wonderful wheelchair. Though this wheelchair takes me by surprise, the kindness has really touched my heart.

It is the thought and effort that really amazed me. I would like to thank you once again for the word of appreciation. I always cherished to be an employee of Qasa. Thank you once again and best wishes.

Regards,

Kapi Mapohoshe

The team at TMN would like to invite you to come witness the launch of the first ever Social Investment Network!

Please click on article to enlarge and read

Click on the article to enlarge and read…….

Space Age Assistive Technology on Show at ACSA Disability 2011

Every day, creative innovation and modern technology is vastly expanding the scope and variety of lifestyle choices and opportunities available for people with disabilities in South Africa.

Some of these life-changing products and services will be showcased at the ACSA Disability Trade and Lifestyle Exhibition which takes place from 6 to 8 October at the Sandton Convention Centre in Sandton, Gauteng.

Eye control Technology – Inclusive Solutions

The tragedy of disability is that it is indiscriminate; it can be slight or severe. It could leave a person unable to move freely, unable to move at all, even unable to communicate. Computers have revolutionised communication in an able-bodied world, but how would a person with a disability, especially someone with a severe disability, handle a mouse and keyboard?

Eye control is the solution; it has the ability to bring the world of computers and the internet to people with severe disabilities. Local supplier Inclusive Solutions will be demonstrating the brand new Tobii Eye Control system at the Disability Expo.

“A user can simply look at the computer screen and the mouse cursor will follow their gaze using only eye movement,” says Lisa Ellis, a director of the company. “The system provides an on-screen keyboard that enables a user to type using their eyes. Special speech generating software then says the message aloud.”

Tobii runs on the Windows operating system, and is compatible with all Windows applications such as Outlook e-mail, Internet Explorer, MS Office, Facebook and more. It also offers customisable graphics for people of all ages and abilities, including symbol based communication options.

“Tobii is so simple and easy to use, so there’s no more struggling and straining with switches,” says Ellis. “Using eye control is comfortable, easy, and most of all, faster. Tobii has transformed the lives of so many people.

“One of my clients was an active and energetic man who was devastated when diagnosed with motor neurone disease.  He became totally paralysed, needs a ventilator to breathe and has been unable to speak at all for six years,” Ellis recounts.

His wife and carers, desperate to give him more independent communication, tried many devices, but nothing worked well for him.  A year ago they discovered the Tobii C12 Eye Tracker, which enabled him to control a computer using only his eyes. He simply looks at the computer screen and the cursor follows his gaze movements.  When he wants to click, he ‘dwells’ on an icon or target for about a second, and the click is performed.

“My client can now speak simply by looking at an on-screen keyboard and typing the messages he wants to say. The computer then says the message aloud, using speech generating software,” adds Ellis. “He can also use Tobii to send e-mails and SMS messages to his family and friends. He can browse the internet, listen to music, look at photographs and has a significantly improved quality of life.”

Tobii can also benefit people paralysed with neck injuries, with cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis, rhett syndrome, etc.

They have other great affordable hardware and software products (http://www.sensorysoftware.com/thegrid2.html) that can support people to use a computer visually or with limited hand control:

For more information, contact: Lisa Ellis – Cell:  071 641 3327 Office: 087 940 2532 or lisa@inclusivesolutions.co.za

Regional members presented their reports and the new board for 2011/2012 were elected.

QASA welcomes the fact that it now has access to new members as this means that many of our quadriplegics and paraplegics have the potential to succeed in the leadership of our many exciting projects and committees.

Those who attended the AGM experienced the cultural melting pot of Cape Town, and enjoyed the Marimba music and local food provided by the venue. A cocktail party, art exhibition featuring several local mouth painters and guest appearance by Matthew Booth, SA soccer star were also a part of the entertainment.

The QASA National Director thanked all those who supported the event and recognised the efforts of the many organisations and individuals who have made a difference to QASA in the last year.

Please support QASA through me on this adventure by pledging your support and following this event on Facebook…..

.Ari Seirlis
National Director – QuadPara Association of South Africa (QASA)
PO Box 2368, Pinetown, 3600, South Africa
Tel: 031 7670352/48   Fax: 031 7670584  Email: info@qasa.co.za
Mobile: 0829014150
www.qasa.co.za

This is a record amount raised for charity during the Cannonball Run.

As a result of the money raised the Round Table was also able to purchase a new car for QASA’s driving school. The fully kitted out car will help to teach quadriplegics and paraplegics to drive.

The three day event is an annual Round Table Sandown 150 project.  It sees entrants drive their cars to an unknown destination, in this case Nelspruit, with the help of clue books. On their way they have to find the answers to questions and also take part in motoring events or fun events such as clay pigeon shooting.  All the marshals working on the event are tablers or past tablers and their wives and partners.

A total of forty-nine cars entered this year’s event and some of the exotic vehicles on show included: Two Audi R8s, two Mercedes Benz SLS AMGs and a host of Porsches and Subarus.

Money is raised in three ways: Firstly through donations at the Gala dinner on the third evening of the event or through the auctioning of Cannonball Run memorabilia. The third and final way is by having contestants paying “fines” for various transgressions over the three days in the form of Cannonball Run dollars. The dollars are purchased before hand and during the event.

As Round Table we are looking forward to the 10^th anniversary of the Cannonball Run Africa next year and hope to once again raise a huge amount for charity. Special thanks must also go to the sponsors RCA, Investment Cars and Hi Q, the associated sponsors, as well as the tablers in Nelspruit & Barberton who supported the event.

When you use your card at one of the My School registered service providers, you are helping raise funds for your chosen school or charity.

Did you know that you can also swipe your card to raise funds at over 2000 MySchool partner stores nationwide? And enjoy more special savings, like up to 47% off Altech Netstar recovery services, or R40 off MathPro and GetAhead educational products.

Where can you use your card?
To help you find the MySchool partners in your area, you can download our latest partner list here. You can also search for  local partners on our Partner Page. New partners are added regularly.

And remember, you can also use your card when you shop online at stores like

• kalahari.com
• TonerTown
• MySchool Travel
• Woolworths
• Waltons
• Reggies
• ToysRUs

Remember, every swipe counts!

Did you know that QASA (QuadPara Association of SA) is one of the beneficiaries of the WOOLWORTHS MY SCHOOL PROGRAMME? 

You can support QASA each time you swipe the card at a vendor that takes My School Cards.
You will be sent your card and we will then automatically be the beneficiary of a small portion of your spend. This will help us become more sustainable and develop our projects products and services for quadriplegics and paraplegics in South Africa

To get a My School Card is so simple-

• Go online to the following website (below), and register for your MY SCHOOL CARD. http://www.myschool.co.za/supporter/apply/

• You select QUADPARA as the beneficiary.

• On the front page of the application, under the heading SEARCH type in “QUADPARA”, and click “search”, then proceed with competing your application.

Thank you for your support.

Ari Seirlis
National Director

The World Bank also tells us that a billion of the world’s population lack access to a clean source of water. This is again both a health issue and an education issue. Dirty water makes people sick. And children who must spend upwards of two hours a day simply fetching water from the nearest water source may have no time left to attend school or study.

Data on sanitation and water access for people with disabilities is hard to find. But the little literature I have seen on the topic suggests that their needs are often left out when projects strive to bring either to a new village or neighborhood. This means they are left more vulnerable to disease than their neighbors. This situation also unequally deprives disabled people of their right to dignity.

So what can be done?

No single answer will suit all cases. First of all, the facilities themselves vary widely: a toilet, for example, might be a Western-style seat in some countries but an Asian-style porcelain bowl in the ground in other countries. Second of all, a person who walks on crutches due to the after-effects of polio may have different needs than a person who walks without aid but who cannot bend easily. Both of these individuals may have different needs still from the person who uses a wheelchair due to spinal cord injury, whose needs will also differ from those of another wheelchair rider who has cerebral palsy. Creativity and resourcefulness will always need to be key components of any plan to make water and sanitation services accessible for all.

The Water, Engingeering, and Development Center at Loughborough University has gathered a list of links to articles and resources related to water and sanitation access for disabled people. Here, you can find a briefing note on why the East African water and sanitation sector needs to consider the needs of disabled people. Or scroll further down their web page to find links to reports about water and sanitation projects for people with disabilities in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Uganda, and elsewhere.

Start exploring at:

http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/projects/new_projects3.php?id=60

Author Mahesh Chandrasekar in India has also written an article based on his own experience in making sanitation more accessible for himself, entitled “Water and Sanitation for All,” available at http://www.geocities.com/mahesh_mobility/water_sanitation.htm

People interested in on-going discussion about the topics of disability, water, and sanitation may be interested in joining the Disability, Water, and Sanitation listserv. More information is available on the listserv at http://www.jiscmail.ac.uk/lists/DWS.html. You will note from a quick glance at the archives that discussion on this list seems to be somewhat slow and sporadic. But many lists do revive once new members join them, so it may be worth a try.

Another We Can Do post related to water and sanitation includes one about a handbook on how to make water ans sanitation accessible to disabled people, also from the Water, Engineering, and Development Centre of Loughborough University.



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Catch up with the news; explore resources, toolkits, or funding and fellowship opportunities; find research, reports, papers, or statistics; or look up conferences, events, call for papers, or education/training opportunities.

We Can Do Copyright
This blog post is copyrighted to We Can Do (wecando.wordpress.com). Currently, only two web sites have on-going permission to syndicate (re-post) We Can Do blog posts in full: BlogAfrica.com and www.RatifyNow.org. Other sites may be plagiarizing this post without permission.

Delegates, including people who use wheelchairs or have vision impairments, visited political party officies to raise demands for access to voting polls.  However, the offices themselves were not accessible to the delegates because they had no ramps. 

Read the full story on the successful fight to achieve voting rights for disabled people in Karnataka, India, at:

http://actionaidindia.org/People_with_disability_Karnataka%20fight_to_make_election_count.htm

Are you working to achieve voting rights for disabled people in your own country?  If so, you might wish to review a letter written to Chief Electoral Officers in India  (PDF format, 2.29 Mb) last fall as part of the campaign to advocate for more accessible voting locations; unfortunately, the second part of the PDF file seems to be an image, which may be inaccessible to people using screen readers:

http://actionaidindia.org/download/disabled_right_group.pdf

While you are at the Action Aid India web site, you may wish to also browse among some of the other resources linked there related to disability rights.

Subscribe to We Can Do
Learn how to receive an email alert when new material is posted at We Can Do (wecando.wordpress.com).

Other Resources at We Can Do
Catch up with the news; explore resources, toolkits, or funding and fellowship opportunities; find research, reports, papers, or statistics; or look up conferences, events, call for papers, or education/training opportunities.

We Can Do Copyright
This blog post is copyrighted to We Can Do (wecando.wordpress.com). Currently, only two web sites have on-going permission to syndicate (re-post) We Can Do blog posts in full: BlogAfrica.com and www.RatifyNow.org. Other sites are most likely plagiarizing this post without permission.

A recent publication, entitled “State of Disabled People’s Rights in Kenya (2007) Report,” analyzes national and regional Kenyan legislation on disability; government programs and policies on disability, and case law in disability. The report also presents the results of interviews with disabled people in three selected regions within Kenya about their human rights situation, in respect to dignity, autonomy, equality, and inclusion. Deaf people, blind people, and people with mobility impairments, and intellectual disabilities were interviewed. An overview of the disability rights movement in Kenya is given.

The examination of legislation and policies found that the Constitution of Kenya guarantees the human rights and liberties of all citizens. However, although the constitution outlaws discrimination on grounds such as race, tribe, or color, it does not specifically outlaw discrimination on the basis of disability. Further, anti-discrimination laws have not been enforced in cases where disability-related discrimination has occurred.

Interviews with individual disabled people in Kenya found that nearly three-quarters had been denied the right to make decisions affecting their own lives. Also, 80% report experiencing segregation, isolation, and lack of support for their needs. More than one-third reported that their own families had committed abuse or violence on them, and more than 45 percent said their families did not allow them to participate in family activities on the same basis as other family members.

The report recommends strengthening the capacity of Disabled People’s Organizations to address human rights issues; mainstreaming disability rights issues into government bodies and the national development strategy; involving disabled people and their organization in improving anti-discrimination legislation; and making the court process more accessible to disabled people so they can more effectively challenge disability-based discrimination.

The “State of Disabled People’s Rights in Kenya (2007) Report” was commissioned by the African Union of the Blind in collaboration with the Kenyan Union of the Blind, the World Blind Union, and the Centre for Disability Rights Education and Advocacy (CREAD), with support from the Swedish International Development Agency, the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired, and Disability Rights Promotion International (DRPI).

The report can be read on-line at http://www.yorku.ca/drpi/Kenya07.html#startContent

The report also can be downloaded in PDF format (1.2 Mb) at http://www.yorku.ca/drpi/files/KenyaReport07.pdf



“Accessibility” in part refers to making We Can Do accessible to people with disabilities. The disability group that tends to face the most barriers on the Web are people with vision impairments. Of particular concern are people who use screen readers, whether due to vision impairments or for other reasons such as dyslexia. So far, the people I know who use screen readers have not told me about any problems in navigating We Can Do. But each screen reader is different. And sometimes different people differ in how well they know how to use the equipment they have. So if you use a screen reader, I still want to hear your feedback on accessibility at We Can Do. I also would welcome advice and assistance in specific areas such as making pictures or tables accessible to blind people. If you think you might be able to help, please consult the Accessibility page for more details about what questions I have.

People who are blind are not the only people who face accessibility barriers. People who are deaf or hard of hearing, or have mobility impairments, specific learning disabilities, attention deficit disorder, or cognitive disabilities all face challenges in navigating the web. If you might have feedback you want to share in these areas, please consult the Accessibility page and share your comments.

At We Can Do, I am concerned with not only accessibility for people with disabilities fortunate enough to have Internet access and literacy skills. I also want to ensure that We Can Do is as accessible as possible for people in developing countries who may be using very old, slow equipment and dial-up connections. Or for people who cannot access the Internet at all. Or who do not read well in English. If you have thoughts you want to share, or if you have the time and interest to help, please consult the Accessibility page and contact me.

I realize I have been posting many “administrivia” items at We Can Do lately and somewhat fewer fresh materials. I do have a couple more pages in mind that I want to add to the top navigation bar. But I will also be posting more news, resources, and papers in the coming few weeks. Please do keep coming back to We Can Do.



“The organization has decided that its purpose and work is to improve the quality of life of all persons with disability, which includes those with hearing or physical impairment and mental ill health as well as those with visual loss,” says CBM president, Prof. Allen Foster.

CBM has also issued a new motto: “Together we can do more.” The word “together” is meant to emphasize the importance of partnership, particularly with organizations in low-income countries and with mainstream development organizations. The phrase “we can” is meant to emphasize ability over disability. And “do more” is meant to challenge the fact that the majority of people with disabilities in developing nations do not receive the medical, educational, and rehabilitation services they need.

CBM works with more than 700 partners in more than 100 countries to serve more than 18 million people with disabilities.

More detail can be found at:

http://www.cbmicanada.org/news_viewer.asp?news_id=138