skip to content
link to this site's home page

Vodafone NZ Foundation - Heading

Projects

Image of hands with braille - RNZFB

RNZFB - Royal New Zealand Foundation of the Blind

Every year nearly 1500 New Zealanders either go blind or experience serious sight loss. The Royal NZ Foundation of the Blind (RNZFB) is New Zealand's primary service provider for blind, vision-impaired and deafblind people. It empowers its 11,500 members to create new beginnings using adaptive skills, technologies and resources.

Over the last 2 years the NZ Foundation has contributed almost $100,000 to the RNZFB’s newly formed Adaptive Technology Unit. Adaptive technology is simply computer hardware or software adapted to help a vision-impaired person access information more simply.

The grant from the NZ Foundation is paying for the salary of a technologist who will help members assess their technology needs in the Auckland based Adaptive Technology Unit. The technologist is helping run courses to educate members on extending their use of computers at home, at work or in tertiary study. Members learn to send e-mails, surf the Internet, use a word processor, create spreadsheets, and become familiar with adaptive technology in a supportive classroom environment. Besides increasing employment and study options, being able to access information independently this way helps blind people: find an alternative way to read and write, improve self determination and self esteem, aid adjustment to visual impairment and reduce dependence on sighted assistance.

Going forward, the Vodafone NZ Foundation is keen to support blind users to overcome their mobile communication difficulties. With the help of Vodafone, the Foundation is working with RNZFB members to tailor mobile products and services to meet the needs of vision-impaired members. This includes making TALKS enabled mobile phones with the software already loaded on to the phone, available to RNZFB members at cost price. Vodafone is also including training on the handsets as part of our commitment to provide valuable solutions to all mobile users. In conjunction with this, Vodafone employees are also demonstrating their commitment to the partnership by participating in sighted guide training, fundraising during Blind Awareness Week and a highly successful work-place buddy scheme.