By Nangamso Mabindla
15 July2008

FOLLOWING the launch of the first ever municipal library for the visually impaired in East London last month, the Centre for Municipal Research and Advice (CMRA) will be raising awareness about the library for the benefit of the Buffalo City community.

Located within the East London Central Library, the new library has state of the art equipment for use by visually impaired people. It is funded by the Dutch embassy.

The CMRA’s Sinazo Mgwigwi said that, together with the municipality, the centre would prepare an information pamphlet about the new library. “This is the first project of its kind in the country and we want to use the pamphlet to inform people about the availability of such a facility in their area.”

She said that the pamphlet would be circulated to schools and to educational institutions, like the University of Fort Hare and the Walter Sisulu University.

“We will also focus on creating awareness in previously disadvantaged communities [as] we also want people from those areas to know about these facilities.”

Mgwigwi said that one of the CMRA’s aims was to educated disabled people about HIV and Aids. “Visually impaired people will be able to come to the library and learn more about HIV and Aids, something they could not do before we piloted a facility of this kind.”

The deaf community would also benefit from the CMRA’s programmes in Buffalo City and Mgwigwi said it would also build wheelchair ramps in some of the City’s clinics.

“We will also have disability-friendly beds in some of the clinics. We will have deaf interpreters’ telephone numbers so that when a deaf person walks into a clinic, staff will call an interpreter.”

Looking to the future, Mgwigwi said it aimed to raise funds so that if the East London library was a success, similar facilities could be opened in Mdantsane and King William’s Town.

“We would like all communities in Buffalo City to have access to facilities like the library for the visually impaired.”