In a move to improve accessibility for deaf and hard of hearing shoppers, Clearwater Mall has introduced an on-demand sign language interpreting service.
In partnership with CONVO South Africa, the West Rand retail centre now offers instant access to qualified South African Sign Language (SASL) interpreters via QR codes placed at customer service points and information stations.
CONVO is a deaf-owned and deaf-led company that launched in 2022. The team received recognition at the Pan South African Language Board’s Multilingualism Awards in the Technology and Business category.
The new service is aimed at breaking communication barriers in the retail environment. Shoppers simply scan a QR code to initiate a video call with a live interpreter, allowing real-time conversations between deaf customers and mall staff. The system works on phones, tablets and laptops, and supports multiple South African languages including English, Afrikaans, isiXhosa, isiZulu and Sesotho, besides SASL.
According to Clearwater Mall’s marketing manager, Prianka Singh Rodgers, the decision to roll out the service followed research that revealed a sizeable deaf community in the mall’s catchment area.
“We’re here to serve our whole community, and that means responding by taking action when we can do better,” Rodgers said. “CONVO means that we are removing a communication barrier.”
The service is easy to use – there's no need to download an app, register an account or pay a fee. Users only need to scan, connect and begin communicating.
Chelsea Williamson, GM at CONVO South Africa, welcomed the mall’s adoption of inclusive communication practices. She emphasised that accessibility is not a luxury: “Clearwater Mall understands that accessibility isn’t a nice-to-have feature. When deaf customers can communicate freely with staff, everyone benefits.”
The partners noted that with about 4 million South Africans who are deaf or hard of hearing, the service addresses a real need in the retail space. Mall staff has been trained on the technology to ensure a smooth experience from day one.
Other recent initiatives to cater to the deaf community using technology include the University of Cape Town's pilot project to make its National Benchmark Test website accessible in SASL.
According to the university, this marks a major milestone for inclusion in higher education and aligns with its Vision 2030 commitment to transformation.
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