SCHS ORGANIZES AN INTELLECTUAL, DIALOGUE, AND AWARENESS SYMPOSIUM
Under the theme "United in working to save and achieve the goals of sustainable development for, with, and through persons with disabilities," Al Wafa School for Capacity Development, an affiliate of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), organized a symposium on Wednesday, January 3, 2024, at the Sharjah Education Academy as part of the celebrations of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. Speakers included Dr. Lubna Al-Shaali, Director of the Ministry of Health's Health Policies and Legislation Department; Dr. Ahmed Ali Shaaban, Expert in Strategy and Institutional Excellence at the Sharjah Education Academy and the Sharjah Special Education Authority; Ms. Maryam Ahmed Al Balushi, Director of the Ministry of Community Development's People of Determination Department; Ms. Basma Ibrahim Al Nimr, Head of the Human Resources Department of the Government of Sharjah; Ms. Salama Al Khatri, the activist in the field of empowering people with disabilities; and the champion athlete Salama Al Khatri were among the keynote speakers. Dr. Samia Mohamed Saleh, the director of the Al-Wafa School for Capacity Development, served as the symposium moderator.
A film providing an overview of SCHS was screened before to the keynote address by the organization's director general, Her Excellency Mona Abdul Karim Al Yafei. In it, she emphasized how crucial it is to draw attention to the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, since this year's efforts are concentrated on achieving the sustainable development goals, which are centered around the goals of employment, health, and education. She also emphasized the importance of collaborating with partners—individuals and institutions—to decrease disparities and foster collaboration in order to accomplish the goals.
She also stressed the utmost importance of the participation of people with disabilities in programs, events, and activities that seek to implement sustainable development goals. When people with disabilities say, “Nothing concerns us without us,” and everyone adopts this expressive saying, this must be in action, not in words.
The speaker went on, saying, "Effective and influential participation from people with disabilities in society's institutions will foster cooperation between members, which will result in the development of effective strategies that serve the interests of both society and people with disabilities, ultimately advancing both." SCHS never forgets how crucial it is to include individuals with disabilities in a variety of social activities. It emphasizes how important it is to include people in all decision-making processes that affect them.
She concluded by saying: By paying attention to education, health, employment, and sustainable development goals, and standing up to challenges and overcoming them, we have passed one of the most important stages in improving the quality of life of people with disabilities, and the progress of society in general.
After that, Sheikha Sheikha Sultan Al Qasimi, SCHS’s Self-Advocacy Coordinator and Spokeswoman for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, organized the “Self-Advocacy Network” activity. It is an awareness-raising activity in which speakers participated in the symposium on the importance of cooperation between community institutions and joining efforts, indicating that the stronger this cooperation is the more it achieves its goals as hoped.
Dr. Lubna Al-Shaali spoke about the importance of health, as it is the foundation of life. She stressed that the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Article 25 affirms that persons with disabilities have the right to enjoy the highest levels of health without discrimination based on disability. The Sustainable Development Goals are considered a plan to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all.
She discussed in her speech the most significant health protocols and policies that ensure individuals with disabilities have access to healthcare, the Ministry's role in offering supportive therapeutic services to individuals with disabilities enrolled in schools, and upcoming plans for collaboration between the Ministry of Health and organizations that assist individuals with disabilities in achieving sustainable development goals.
For his part, Dr. Ahmed Ali Shaaban extended his sincere thanks and appreciation to SCHS for organizing this important symposium. He then spoke about the efforts made within the framework of integrating persons with disabilities into private schools despite the challenges, and working in cooperation with partners, led by SCHS, to implement this integration in an ideal manner and closely follow up and evaluate the cases.
He also discussed the most important procedures and policies followed by the authority within the integration process, follow-up, and ways to provide support to people with disabilities in private schools.
In turn, Ms. Basma Ibrahim Al-Nimr spoke about the role of the Human Resources Department of the Sharjah Government in employing people with disabilities as an implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council of the Federation and Ruler of Sharjah, and in fruitful and constructive cooperation with SCHS and its Masarat Center for Development and Empowerment.
She also talked about the procedures followed by the department to facilitate the work of persons with disabilities and the support and training programs directed to them.
Ms. Maryam Ahmed Al Balushi spoke about the role of the Ministry of Community Development in achieving sustainable development goals, supporting, and empowering people with disabilities, and ensuring the provision of services in coordination with the relevant authorities.
She also spoke about the Ministry’s follow-up to the work of private centers to ensure the provision of distinguished services to persons with disabilities, and the most important services provided to persons with mental disabilities and autism spectrum disorder through training and operational programs, and following up on the rights of persons with disabilities in cooperation with other ministries and bodies.
The champion, Salama Al Khatri, praised what state institutions provide in support of people with disabilities in various fields. She stressed the importance of educating society in general, and people with disabilities and their parents in particular, about these services and how to obtain them. She extended her sincere thanks to SCHS for organizing this important symposium.
Dr. Asma Al Darmaki, Director of SCHS branch in Kalba, announced at the end of the discussion that the door was open for questions to the audience, which included specialists, employees, media professionals, and interested parties from various state institutions and entities.