JAMILA AL QASIMI, “WE ARE BUILDING NEW KNOWLEDGE BASES AND COMMUNICATING
Her Excellency Sheikha Jamila bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, President of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), has confirmed that since its establishment in 1979, SCHS has been working to develop unique services and quality programs. SCHS aims at including, advocating and empowering persons with disabilities. SCHS depend on its vision, mission and the directives of its honorary president, His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Federal Supreme Council, Ruler of the Emirate of Sharjah to do so.
She said, “In line with this pioneering and continuous journey in serving people with disabilities, the city established in 2012 a specialized center that provides services to people with severe and multiple disabilities. The center works continuously to develop work and attract expertise, to achieve better levels of independence and participation among its members”.
This happened during the opening of the virtual international conference on “Quality of Life for Persons with Severe and Multiple Disabilities”, which SCHS is organizing in cooperation with the Hashemite University of Jordan on March 8 and 9, 2022. A group of academics, specialists and doctors are participating in the conference.
She explained the importance of the conference in sharing knowledge and science and shedding light on a segment of people that has been long not apparent. This is not because of negligence, but because of lack of knowledge and shortcomings in work. The obvious fact is that this group cannot express its demands and rights in traditional ways. This has greatly contributed to excluding them from the services that are available to others, and depriving them of the most basic rights.
Establishing new knowledge bases
The President of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services explained that the organization of the conference, in cooperation with the Hashemite University in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is part of SCHS efforts to raise people's awareness, share experiences, and establish new knowledge bases through conferences and forums. SCHS communicates with the best experts and specialists to learn about the latest practices and studies. This benefit persons with disabilities, and raise the level of services provided to them in institutions.
She pointed out the need to take advantage of the content of the conference sessions to upgrade the system of services provided to persons with disabilities. Specialists should work to build positive trends regarding educational and community integration, leading to the closure of "shelter centers" and finding solutions to deal with health care needs, and other challenges facing parents and service centers.
She was so happy with the special honoring of Dr. Musa Sharaf El-Din, who worked hard to promote the rights of persons with disabilities in the region. He sought to convey the voice of Arab self-advocates, and develop their work through his efforts to build partnerships and relationships with everyone. He does that in order to form a strong network of institutions and self-advocates within the Arab region.
At the conclusion of her speech, she thanked all the speakers, and SCHS's partner in organizing the conference, "The Hashemite University". She also thanked SCHS’s work team, who made a great effort to ensure the best level of organization. She hopes that the conference would be for all participants a real turning point in building a better future for people with severe and multiple disabilities within the Arab region in particular, and the world in general.
Deep Relationships
For his part, Dr. Fawaz Al-Abd Al-Haq Al-Zabeen, President of the Hashemite University, stressed that this international scientific meeting comes as a realization of the visions and directions of the wise leadership of both brotherly countries. The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the United Arab Emirates has strong and rooted fraternal relations, and a strategic partnership. The relationship between them is stable, old and an example followed on Arab and international levels.
He said, “The Hashemite University has sought to provide a safe, inclusive and supportive environment for students with disabilities by providing quality educational programs and environmental facilities to facilitate their learning and comprehensive integration into university life. This will prepare them for future professional life. The university is moving forward in developing this approach and including it in its strategic plans. It also seeks excellence and leadership in providing quality services to people with disabilities, and improving their quality of life”.
A platform to launch a new approach of common work
Among its most important achievements in this field are the establishment of the “Queen Rania College for Childhood” specialized in childhood issues, which is the only college in the Middle East specialized in childhood and special education, the establishment of a master’s program in “special education for childhood,” which is the first of its kind in the Arab world. The university established the first inclusive kindergarten for children with disabilities on campus. It aims to provide the best services to them, prepare them for their integration into society at kindergarten stage, allocate a seat for students with disabilities in student council elections, and design modern buildings at the university that are friendly to people with disabilities.
Mr. Al-Zabeen explained the importance of cooperation between the university and Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services at the conference in order to be a starting point for a new approach of common work. It establishes qualitative success opportunities in order to empower persons with disabilities improve their quality of life, integrate them into society. We should let them reach their maximum potential. We should work to raise the level of awareness about the latest developments and practices for people with severe and multiple disabilities, which contribute to improving the quality of their lives and the lives of their families.
Professor Lee's speech
As part of the opening of the international conference, Professor Lee Sang-mok, Associate Professor at the College of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Seoul National University and a member of the Korean Academy of Science and Technology, spoke about his experience with the severe disability caused by a massive accident 15 years ago. He also talked about the importance of technology for people with disabilities in general and people with severe and multiple disabilities in particular.
He expressed his great happiness for the cooperation that he had a few years ago with Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services through the support applications competition. It urged university students to devise smart applications that improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. He extended his sincere thanks and appreciation to Her Excellency Sheikha Jamila bint Muhammad Al Qasimi and to all the workers in SCHS.
Then the audience watched a short film about the city’s experience with severe and multiple disabilities, presented by self-advocate Yasmine Suleiman from SCHS’s affiliates through one of the support applications that convert written texts into spoken texts. She confirmed that SCHS did not reach this level of perfection because it performs its obligations out of duty only; rather, because it depend on its deep belief in what it offers to persons with disabilities in an effort to include, advocate and empower them according to the best and latest practices.
A special honoring to Dr. Musa Sharaf El-Din
After that, Her Excellency Mrs. Mona Abdel Karim Al-Yafei, SCHS Director, honored Dr. Musa Sharaf Al-Din from the Lebanese Republic. She delivered a speech in which she confirmed that Dr. Sharaf Al-Din is one of the SCHS friends and brothers who believes in the concepts of inclusion, advocacy and empowerment.
She said, “Dr. Sharaf El-Din is the president of the Friends of the Disabled Association. He transformed the path of his professional life, which he started as a doctor, "anesthesiologist", to obtain a master's degree in educational sciences for people with disabilities. He sought to achieve a decent life for his two sons, "Firas", who passed away, and "Mohammed" and their peers of people with disabilities. He established for this purpose an Arab-Lebanese platform. We are all proud of it at the level of the Arab world, which is the "Friends of the Disabled Association".
“The harsh conditions that surrounded Dr. Moussa as a father and a human made him an “inspiration” for people with disabilities and their families. He worked to direct their path, protect them from the same conditions he faced with his two sons, and empower them with their rights, until he became the head of the International Inclusion in the Middle East and North Africa MENA. He created a strong network of Arab self-advocates and institutions working with them”, added Mrs. Mona.
She explained that this honoring, under the guidance of Her Excellency Sheikha Jamila bint Muhammad Al Qasimi, President of SCHS, shows SCHS appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Musa Sharaf Al-Din. He took on responsibility over the past four decades towards families and people with disabilities.
"Educational Rehabilitation" topic
Subsequently, the host of the conference, Ms. Mona Karam, Director of SCHS branch in Khorfakhan, announced the beginning of the work of the first session of “educational rehabilitation” topic. Dr. Kholoud Al-Dababneh, Professor of Special Education at Queen Rania’s College for Childhood at the Hashemite University of Jordan, moderated this session. Dr. Bandar bin Nasser Al-Otaibi from Saudi Arabia spoke about best educational practices for people with severe and multiple disabilities. Then Ms. Reina Karvonen from Loewe College in Finland discussed resource-oriented tools for assessing and describing the special educational needs of a student with a disability in VET.
On the same topic, the two professors at Moscow Russian University "Maria Alexandrovna Vetrova" and "Alexander Olegovich Vetrov" presented a scientific paper on the experience of individual adaptation of test instructions and obtaining feedback from children with severe and multiple developmental disorders during psychological and educational diagnosis. Then, Dr. Alvaro Diaz and Daniela Gisara spoke about Quality Indicators at the Perkins Institution in the United States of America.
Discussions and inquiries
After a set of discussions and inquiries, the work of the first topic continued with a working paper entitled "Vocational Training Programs for Persons with Severe and Multiple Disabilities - Implementation Possibilities and Practice Insights". Prof. Dr. Karen Kelly and Prof Annalina Zimsky from the University of Cologne in Germany presented this paper, in which they confirmed the focus of research in particular on centers of vocational rehabilitation of persons with disabilities in the Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. There, concepts have already been developed for the implementation of vocational training for persons with multiple disabilities and have been able to gain practical experience in this field.
While Bassem Abdel Ghaffar from the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates spoke about the impact of severe and multiple disabilities on accidental learning. He stressed that learning include two main types when classified based on intentionality. The first type is “Intended Learning” and the second type is “Accidental Learning”.
We can define Intended learning as the style of learning in which the learner acquires new knowledge and skills with a clear objective and a specific approach. While we can define incidental learning as acquired knowledge and skills in an unintended, unconscious, unplanned, or targeted manner. It often occurs during natural, automatic situations.
Dr. Bassem explained that disability negatively affects a person's ability to deal with information available in both the physical and social environments. This effect may vary according to the category of disability, as sensory receptive impairments negatively affect a person's ability to access information. Whereas, central/cognitive disabilities affect a person's ability to process information. Expressive/motor disabilities negatively affect a person's ability to influence his or her social and physical environment.
He pointed to the steadily increasing negative effects of disability in cases of multiple disabilities, as the impact extends across more than one learning model. Meanwhile, schools and rehabilitation centers globally provide educational services and solutions for children with disabilities of most groups. However, the majority of these educational services and educational intervention approaches focus almost exclusively on intended learning. Therefore, the child's chances of experiencing incidental learning first diminish because of the disability. Secondly, because of the educational environment. The greater the severity of the disability and the greater the number of disability, the direct impact on the child's opportunities for casual learning.
The paper discussed the importance of casual learning for children in general and for children with severe and multiple disabilities in particular. Providing a social and physical learning environment helps give the child the opportunity to access casual learning situations.
Dr. Sahar Abu Shkhaydam from An-Najah University in Palestine spoke about a study she prepared on the impressions of families of children with visual impairments associated with other disabilities about the use of the "INSITE" program for early intervention at home.
The study aimed to identify the impressions of families of children with visual impairment associated with other disabilities about the INSITE early intervention program at home. The study took place in some centers for people with visual impairment associated with other disabilities in Amman, Salt and Zarqa in Jordan.
The second topic (therapeutic health)
Dr. Salwa Salem Al Hosani, Consultant Pediatrician and Young Psychiatrist at Sheikh Khalifa Medical City in Abu Dhabi, chaired this session. The main speaker in this session, Dr. Zuhair Mehmandar, Consultant Neonatologist and Pediatrician at Emirates Hospital, spoke about the diagnosis and medical examinations for children with severe and multiple disabilities. Then Dr. Sona Narayan from Sheikh Khalifa Medical City talked about swallowing problems in people with severe and multiple disabilities.
Within the same topic, Dr. Shadi Al-Khatib from the University Dental Hospital in Sharjah discussed dental problems and their treatment for people with severe disabilities. Ms. Abeer Al-Qassir from Al-Qassimi Hospital spoke about nutrition and people with severe and multiple disabilities, where proper nutrition is one of the most important means that help the growth and development of the child. It helps in improving brain development and improving the person's behavior. Therefore, there is an urgent need to know their nutritional needs, work to meet them, and help them choose healthy foods that help them stay in better health and obtain the energy needed to complete their day’s tasks without feeling tired and exhausted.
Professor Mohamed Steiti from Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services discussed the impact of physical therapy on adults with severe and multiple disabilities through distance therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of families in SCHS.
Assistive Technologies Exhibition
Because it is concerned with all issues related to persons with disabilities, including "Assistive Technologies." In March 2014, Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services established the Assistive Technology Center. The center attaches great importance to educating people with disabilities and society in general about the concept of assistive technologies and Universal Design. The Center seeks to provide technical solutions for people with disabilities in accordance with the best international practices in order to empower them in various fields.
After a short break, the conference attendees took a virtual tour of an exhibition organized by the center for the latest technologies in support of people with severe and multiple disabilities. Sharjah Research and Technology Park hosted the exhibition. The exhibition aims to display and raise awareness of the latest assistive technologies in the market. The aim of the exhibition is to reach the largest number of beneficiaries to support the independence of persons with disabilities in the practice of life and daily activities, raise the level of skills, and support community participation.
The exhibition was special because of the diversity of devices, modern technology and artificial intelligence that serve people with severe and multiple disabilities. There were various devices for adjunctive and alternative communication.
Ms. Rabab Abdel Wahab, Head of the Assistive Technology Center, has confirmed that many people with disabilities benefit from supportive technical solutions according to the type of need and support required performing various tasks in daily life.
Assistive technologies and technical solutions help improve the quality of life for people with severe and multiple disabilities in all areas of life. It supports their independence, inclusion and community participation. Devices include, for example, ones that support mobility, supportive and alternative communication, self-care, education, computing and technology use.
Nawal, CEO of the French Company Masirah, located in Paris, said that the company is a pioneer in the field of supporting people with disabilities. Today, in its participation in the exhibition, the company is showing some technology products and assistive robots for people with severe and multiple disabilities so that they can restore their motor skills.
She confirmed that there are many success stories of children who started talking because of the DNA test, which can analyze more than 3071 genes and thus identify and treat the problem in the child.
A group of companies working in this field participated in the exhibition. They have a role in direct and common work with the Assistive Technology Center in evaluating the needs of beneficiaries of technical solutions. This is in addition to its role in providing support and awareness to the beneficiaries and the community about the types of assistive technologies through participation in various exhibitions and raising awareness events. These companies include Sama Medical Devices and Equipment Company, Masirah Company, Smart Home Technology Company, White Point International Company, OTB Company, and Concert World Company.
The third topic "Rights and laws for persons with disabilities"
Counselor Dr. Khaled Ali Al-Salami, President of the Association of People with Disabilities, chaired the work of the third session of the conference. The main speaker was Ms. Manal Al Muhairi from the International Inclusion. She spoke about closing residential institutions and the alternatives available. Dr. Mahmoud Muhammad Imam from Sultan Qaboos University in Oman discussed a paper entitled “Implications for Policies to Empower Persons with Disabilities in Arab Societies”.
Professor Hazem Ahmed from Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services spoke about the role of recreational therapy in improving the quality of life for people with severe and multiple disabilities. To conclude this topic, Ms. Amna Al Zaabi presented a paper on SCHS's experience in protecting children with severe disabilities from abuse. Then, there was another tour of the virtual exhibition of the latest assistive technologies for people with severe and multiple disabilities.
Conference Introduction Speech
Ms. Mona Karam, Director of SCHS branch in Khorfakhan, delivered a speech at the beginning of her presentation of the activities of the first day, in which she emphasized that the city, since its beginnings, 42 years ago, has been overcoming obstacles, facing challenges, and organizing forums and conferences. It seeks to continuously improve the status of persons with disabilities and preserve their dignity and rights. Improving the quality of life of people with disabilities in general, and those with severe and multiple disabilities in particular, was a preoccupation for SCHS. It has been working to achieve it, and raising awareness of it.
The city's main goal by holding the "Quality of Life for Persons with Severe and Multiple Disabilities" conference in cooperation with the Hashemite University of Jordan is to provide new knowledge, share distinctive experiences, and propose solutions to some issues and difficulties. This constitutes a valuable addition to the quality of life of this important group of society members and their families.
She said, “Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services depend on its vision, mission and strategic objectives in this effort. It includes following the standards of excellence, quality and efficiency and adopting the foundations of equality, diversity and knowledge production at the local and international levels. The city has a tendency to employ best practices for the welfare of persons with disabilities and the society in whole”.
Because the city attaches great importance to people with severe and multiple disabilities, it established the "Severe Disabilities Center" in 2011-2012 within the Al-Wafa School for Capacity Development (Ramla Branch). In order to provide them with the best services. The number of people with severe and multiple disabilities that the city provided its services to during the academic year 2020-2021 has reached (95). In the current year 2021-2022, the number of people with severe and multiple disabilities who benefited from the city’s services has reached (115).
The sessions of the conference will continue
Therefore, we hope to consider this an invitation to join us