First Car Rental Transports Students with Disabilities at UFS
First Car Rental Quantum has been adapted for wheelchair access.
The CUADS team (from left to right): Florina Motsamai, Hetsie Veitch, David Nkwenkwezi, Lize Botha, Tigo Vorster, Elisa Sising and Martie Miranda
The University of the Free State (UFS), with its main campus in Bloemfontein, is one of the oldest South African institutions of higher learning.
Launched in 2001, the Centre for Universal Access and Disability Support (CUADS) aims to make the University of the Free State accessible to students with disabilities, including all disability designations such as visual impairment, hearing impairment, mobility impairment and specific learning impairments.
The support offered by the centre is individualised for each student according to his/her specific needs to ensure student success and a complete student life experience at the UFS, striving towards creating an environment in which students can function independently.
Transport a High Priority
In 2008, providing transport for the students with disabilities was identified as a high priority by CUADS as many students faced great challenges such as wheelchair-using students being forced to pay extra fees for public transport because their wheelchairs take up more space in a taxi.
In June 2012, First Car Rental responded to this heartfelt issue by donating two brand-new vehicles to CUADS. The two vehicles consist of a passenger car and a specially-adapted branded Quantum minibus. These vehicles are available to all 159 students with disabilities.
Since 2012, the Quantum has been used daily by CUADS to transport students between the main campus and the South campus.
In July 2015, First Car Rental upgraded the Quantum and replaced it with a brand new branded Quantum, adapted for wheelchair access and transportation.
Left:Janette Greeff (First Car Rental Area Sales Manager, Free State and Northern Cape) (left) and Landi Kuhn (Branch Manager, First Car Rental Bloemfontein) (right), hand over the new First Car Rental branded Quantum.
Right:The First Car Rental branded passenger vehicle for deaf and blind students at the University of the Free State.
The First Car Rental Quantum was adapted for wheelchair access and provides daily transport to students with disabilities at UFS.
The video below is shown at the compulsory orientation sessions on all three campuses. The video showcases the services CUADS offers to students with disabilities at UFS, including the First Car Rental vehicles.
Click here see more of First Car Rental's CSR projects.