WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) places the amount of published works available to the visually impaired at 5%. This data includes published works in all formats. Kenya’s largest mobile carrier has moved to bridge this gap by making its corporate website available to visually impaired persons. Safaricom, which currently boasts a subscriber base of 17 million, the carrier’s websites is ranked among the 20 most accessed in the country. The carrier has launched a reworked website along with a digital inclusion campaign targetting the visually impaired. Dubbed #OpenYourEyes, the campaign raises awareness on the plight of the visually impaired by giving them an opportunity to experience the internet.
“In Kenya today, there are more than 300,000 people who are visually impaired or blind, and can therefore not benefit from the wealth of information on the internet,” said Safaricom’s Director of Corporate Affairs Nzioka Waita. “With this move, we are making it possible for our customers’ who suffer visual impairment access all Safaricom content, just like our sighted customers.”
