Doha Learning Days Student Workshop highlights challenges facing people with disabilities
A student workshop during the Doha Learning Days festival has explored how organizations across Qatar are aiming to ensure equality of opportunity by supporting people with disabilities.
Organized by WISE, Qatar Foundation’s global education initiative, the festival offered more than 50 activities focusing on education, arts, entrepreneurship, technology, and science to people throughout Qatar.
Empowering Insaniyatna (our humanity), a workshop in which a group of students from Qatar participated, presented a number of innovative ideas and solutions that can have a positive impact on people with disabilities, particularly those aged 12-17. Organized and sponsored by Mada – Assistive Technology Center Qatar, it also looked at what should be done to overcome some of the accessibility challenges facing people with disabilities so they can succeed on their education path, and how organizations across different sectors of society can be involved in this.
One of the students who participated, Muhammad Ali Al-Tamimi, said he believes that Qatar is making steady progress in recognizing and addressing the needs of people with motor, hearing, visual or mental disabilities, and that everyone – individuals and institutions – must be aware that people with disabilities have abilities that can benefit everyone.
"We must work as much as possible to educate ourselves and others around us on how to spur innovation to find solutions that promote inclusivity for all, including people with disabilities,” he said. “I have many experiences in dealing with people with disabilities, which have been gained through volunteering in a number of programs, in addition to my work on a number of school projects related to people with disabilities.”
Hind Abdullah Johar, a Qatari high school student who also participated in the workshop, said: "I believe that Qatar has made great progress in advancing the status of people with disabilities, which has contributed to improving their education and their participation in social, cultural, and sporting life.”
“This is shown by the establishment of several specialized institutes and schools for support and learning, in addition to providing easy access services to many sectors, bodies and sports facilities. Various services for persons with disabilities, which include educational, health, social and rehabilitative aspects for people with disabilities and their families, as well as support and counseling services, have contributed to raising awareness of the issues facing those with disabilities in society and enhancing the protection of their rights.”
She also said that, when making plans for the future, decision-makers should bear in mind the need for accessibility in all sectors, to ensure the needs of people with disabilities are taken into consideration and catered for.
The Doha Learning Days 2023 festival was held in partnership with Visa, with the support of ExxonMobil as the Platinum Partner, Msheireb Museums, and the Swiss Wealth Management Group, Julius Baer, as the strategic partners of the festival. To learn more about the festival, which concluded on 4 February, please visit WISE.
--
Make sure to check out our social media to keep track of the latest content.
Instagram - @qatarliving
Twitter - @qatarliving
Facebook - Qatar Living
YouTube - qatarlivingofficial
