Overcoming obstacles

‘Blindflug’ – ‘Blind Flight’ – is the name of an SRF documentary series in which SFIVET clerk Jonas Pauchard explores foreign cities with a friend. Jonas Pauchard is blind and his friend is visually impaired. With technical aids such as GPS on the smartphone and easy-to-implement measures such as field guidelines, they can make their way around in completely new places. The documentary shows what is currently possible, but also where there is still a need for action. Jonas Pauchard has helped SFIVET to identify and implement measures to improve accessibility.

It is amazing to discover how little it takes to achieve a positive effect. At SFIVET’s Zollikofen campus, for example, markings were added to the entrance door and to the steps in the building. This makes everything more visible to the visually impaired and the building is now easier for them to walk through. Access to electronic publications was also expanded last year: The SFIVET magazine ‘skilled’ now includes photo descriptions, which reading programmes are able to reproduce alongside the various articles.

These measures helped to earn SFIVET the ‘iPunkt’ label in 2018. This label is awarded to companies that hire people with disabilities in the primary labour market and respect their equal career opportunities. Last year, SFIVET hired three visually impaired people.