Sasol, the international integrated chemicals and energy company, represented by its Accessible Qatar social responsibility initiative, has announced that it is engaging with Vodafone Qatar to conduct detailed accessibility audits of Vodafone stores to make it possible for disabled people to visit these stores and to promote awareness on the issues of accessibility and inclusion.
So far, 13 Vodafone stores, both independent outlets and shops located within shopping centers, have been audited using an audit system and a smartphone application developed by Sasol’s Accessible Qatar initiative. Accessibility experts delivered detailed reports on the level of accessibility at every store, along with recommendations on how to improve accessibility for the disabled community. The accessibility information was also added to Accessible Qatar website and mobile application.
The Accessible Qatar website and application contain expert-audited information on accessibility to various public venues in Qatar, helping people with disabilities to know the accessibility details of the venue they like to visit, without facing any unpleasant surprises.
Vodafone Qatar is committed to supporting the disabled community in Qatar though its corporate social responsibility program as well as through discounts of up to 50% on all its postpaid Red plans. The company also offers the disabled community a 10 percent discount on the prices of a number of mobile devices, in addition to other benefits enjoyed by disabled visitors to its stores, such as priority service, special care, and the opportunity to receive training on how to use devices.
Mohammed Al Yami, Director of External Affairs at Vodafone Qatar, commented: “We are committed to providing a unique communication experience to all our customers and to making all our stores and installations accessible to everyone. We ensure both digital and physical accessibility and train our employees on how to serve people with disabilities. We believe in the ability of the disabled community and its right to participate in the technological revolution that we are experiencing. We thank Sasol for its efforts, and we look forward to even better and easier accessibility in all our sites.”
For his part, Jack Saba, General Manager of Public Affairs at Sasol, said: “Sasol believes in inclusion and the right of every individual to visit any location and play an active role in the society. We are pleased to add Vodafone’s stores to the database of Accessible Qatar website and application. We thank Vodafone for their support and we look forward to further cooperation in the future to serve the disabled community in Qatar.”
Accessible Qatar is the first application and website of its kind in the region to provide instant and reliable accessibility information of various public and touristic locations across the State of Qatar for people with disabilities. Offering such information to venues encourages them to make the necessary modifications to become more accessible for people of all categories.
