Photo: Mr Mohau Manyarela, Senior Coordinator: Disability Unit showing Tanki Tekete, BA student from the National University of Lesotho how to operate assistive technology Dolphin.

The Central University of Technology, Free State (CUT) Disability Unit (DU) within the Centre for Innovation in Learning and Teaching (CILT) hosted a delegation from the National University of Lesotho (NUL) on 17 March 2023. The visit aimed to learn more about the services provided to students with disabilities and how the CUT Disability Unit (DU) supports students to effectively navigate the global arena regarding educational technology for students living with disabilities.

Part of the day’s activities included a tour of the institutional facilities. NUL students had an opportunity to go through the different assistive technologies used in the Disability Unit with short demonstrations of each device and its functionalities.

They also visited the Wellness Centre to understand how they work closely with the DU and university student residences to get an overview of how they have been renovated to be conducive for students with disability.

Mr Mohau Manyarela, Senior Coordinator in the Disability Unit, mentioned that the unit focuses on an accessible and inclusive environment in line with the National Strategic Policy Framework on Disability.

"We embrace the social model of disability that highlights the need to change the physical, attitudinal, communication and social environment. This will enable people with disabilities to participate in society on par with others," said Manyarela.

The engagement created an opportunity for both universities to identify possible areas of partnership for mutual benefit in line with the institutional strategic goals, which will strengthen collaboration.