Creating jobs for blind and visually impaired persons
Sightgigs is a freelancing website-in-progress designed for the blind and visually impaired persons to access remote job opportunities online.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of visually impaired persons globally is estimated to be 285 million, of whom 39 million are blind. (Reference: Global data of visual impairments 2010)
In Malaysia
As of October 2020, the number of visually impaired persons on record is 51,540. Speaking to several blind and visually impaired persons (BVI), we have identified key challenges that the BVI community are facing in the country.
Lack of job opportunities
Employers are less willing to employ BVI because of a lack of understanding of their true capabilities. Job opportunities are focused on massage and reflexology.
Non-accessible websites
Many websites and internet platforms based in Malaysia are non-accessible to the BVI. These include government portals, banking and e-commerce platforms.
Lack of public awareness
There is a severe lack of awareness by the Malaysian public, government and corporate sectors on creating an inclusive environment for the BVI community.
Matamata
Matamata is a for-profit, social-driven enterprise that harnesses technology to help the blind and visually impaired (BVI) community gain independence and inclusivity online. At present, our focus is on building a freelancing website to connect the BVI community in Malaysia to employers and new job opportunities.
Our Mission
We believe that there is no single solution to address these challenges. But, we have a vision of a future where blind and visually impaired persons receive equal opportunities on the web.
With the support of various stakeholders, we at Matamata are focusing on three main approaches.
Create job opportunities
We are currently building an inclusive website at Sightgigs.com to connect the BVI to freelancing opportunities and introduce them to potential employers.
Build assistive technology
Matamata began at a Microsoft hackathon, where we used AI to promote accessibility. In future, we will continue to explore assistive technology for the BVI.
Educate and advocate
We will help BVI focused NGOs in Malaysia spread awareness about the rights to accessibility on the web, as written in Article 9 of the UN (CRPD).
How you can help ❤️
Our goal at Matamata is to help the blind and visually impaired community gain more independence and inclusivity online.
We have a monstrous task ahead of us, and your help will ensure that we reach out to as many people as possible.