In order to offer blind and visually impaired youth access to Career Center services, the USAID Career Center program equipped the six pilot career centers with the equipment that allows blind and visually impaired users to access computers and ease their navigation through the Virtual Career Center.

Today, one computer per center is equipped with two extra pieces of software: Infovox, an innovative, user-friendly platform that facilitates navigation by transforming writing into speech in real time using a variety of pleasant voices and ZoomText, a fully integrated magnification and screen reading program that magnifies and highlights everything on the computer screen, allowing visually impaired users to access a computer independently.  In addition, each career center is equipped with a bone conduction headset, which uses transducers to emit mini vibrations that pass through the cheekbones and cheeks to directly reach the inner ear, allowing the user to stay alert to what is happening around them.

In the roll-out of these technologies in the career centers, Career Center staff were sensitized to the importance of including people with disabilities and were trained to provide adapted support.  In fact, staff participated in a group discussion with the entrepreneur and consultant, Nabil Maaroufi, who is blind and specializes in increasing inclusivity for visually impaired persons.  This workshop helped counselors fully grasp the challenges faced by visually impaired persons and understand how to adopt certain practices to properly accommodate the blind and visually impaired.

Furthermore, a three-minute job video featuring the young, blind entrepreneur was produced and shared on the Career Center's social media platform.  The video explains how this entrepreneur turned his handicap to his advantage and is now working hard to offer new opportunities for the blind and visually impaired by providing them with tools that allow them to use their capabilities and reach their potential.

Improving accessibility for the visually impaired is just one of the many ongoing efforts to ensure that career centers are an inclusive space and help all youth, no matter their circumstance, gain access to the workplace.

By working with governmental and private-sector partners on specialized workforce development opportunities, the USAID Career Center activity supports Morocco's efforts to improve youth employability through job skill development.  To date, the activity has reached over 175,000 youth and developed more than 250 partnerships with private sector organizations.  Work readiness trainings have been introduced in to a few universities' curricula as well as into all of the Office for Vocational Training and Job Promotion's (OFPPT) 360+ vocational training institutes throughout the country.  USAID continues to work with the Government of Morocco to assist with their expansion of the Career Center model to all 12 regions of the country.