13th October: World Sight Day
Diversity and inclusion for sustainable performance
Diversity and inclusion are a seedbed for innovation, and a key driver for sustainable performance. This has been, and continues to be, the essence of Proximus' commitment over the years.
To make our society an inclusive one, we are connecting more people to bridge the digital divide. We want to provide our colleagues with disabilities with a safe and suitable working environment, and also ensure that their disability does not hinder access to the professional and digital worlds. So how do we do this? By adapting our products and services to make them accessible.
Ensuring that disability does not hinder access to the professional and digital worlds
Being a telecommunications operator means assuming a leading social role with all its stakeholders and throughout the country. Proximus remains committed in the face of the major digital transformations that are disrupting our environment, whether virtual or real.
Marievisually impaired colleague at ProximusI have tested Doktr, My e-press, My Proximus... I am testing applications to make them useful for visually impaired people.
Mouche, my guide dog, comes from the Braille League. I have had him since 2016. At the beginning, in the office, he had difficulty with noises... When I go to meetings, I always take him with me. He's very popular with colleagues!
I was desperate to make something of my life to prove that you can be actively involved in the working environment even if you have health concerns. I was welcomed into a team where people were very friendly and I gradually regained my confidence.
Digital devices and platforms
Accessibility of new devices
We test all our new smartphones and tablets in collaboration with Passe Muraille, which has an independent panel of people with disabilities. The aim is to ensure that these devices meet everyone's. Our online catalog is illustrated with icons to make it easier to identify which devices are accessible for people with disabilities.
In 2021, we tested 20 new devices before incorporating them into our product range. 55% of the devices tested were accessible to at least five disability categories (Proximus tests a total of six disability categories).
Websites accessible for the hearing and visually impaired
Since 2020, our websites Proximus.be and Proximus.com have been accessible for people with a hearing or visual impairment thanks to subtitles on videos, explanatory texts and the addition of optimal color contrasts for better visibility and legibility of texts and images.
Accessibility of our apps
In 2021, we improved the accessibility of our MyProximus and Pickx apps for people with disabilities. We offer subtitles and audio description on several channels of our Pickx TV platform. We will extend this functionality to other channels and to programs in our on-demand catalog. By 2024, 25% of the programs in this catalog will be available with audio description, and 25% with subtitles.
Passwerk
We employ three test engineers through our collaboration with Passwerk. Passwerk employs the skills of people with an autism spectrum profile in various areas of expertise such as software testers, software developers, business intelligence consultants and process support specialists.
Collaboration with specialist companies
We work with several specialist companies, including ENTRA (ENtreprise de TRavail Adapté), which enables us to offer around 200 people with disabilities the opportunity to perform activities such as wiring, kit assembly and the repair, testing and packaging of our products.
Campus
One of the areas of focus is the accessibility of our buildings and the adaptation of our infrastructure for people with disabilities, whether this concerns access to our buildings and the adaptation of our working environment for our employees or access to our shops for the general public.
We are working hard to ensure that the barriers faced by people with disabilities are also taken into account in our new renovation concept for the Brussels Towers so as to ensure optimal access to the new Campus Brussels.
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