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(STRINGS OF THE DEAF FORUM) WITHIN THE 48TH ARAB DEAF WEEK

May 9, 2023

In connection with the 48th Arab Deaf Week, Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) hosted the (Strings of the Deaf Forum) on Monday, May 8, 2023, with the theme "The importance of modern technologies in educating and raising the level of deaf culture." The forum was held by SCHS using the WebEx system. Participants included experts and workers in the field of deaf persons from several Arab nations, including Kuwait, Qatar, the Arab Republic of Egypt, Lebanon, Algeria, and the Sultanate of Oman, as well as interested parties and parents.

SCHS Director Mona Abdul Karim opened the conference and stated that Al Amal School for the Deaf was always interested in exchanging experiences with other nations.

 Al-Amal School for the Deaf served as the foundation of SCHS, she claimed. She hoped that this forum's findings would encourage and empower deaf people to continue participating actively in society.

The forum succeeded in achieving a number of goals, including highlighting successful examples, focusing on deafness related to other disabilities, identifying teaching methods and modern strategies in education, the effects of modern technologies in educating deaf people, raising awareness of the importance of care programs for gifted deaf people, and highlighting the role of the family in educating deaf people.

Participating at the forum was Mr. Fathi Abdelkader Zaqar, director of the High School for Deaf and Dumb Teachers in Algeria. He claimed that Algeria has been actively participating in all worldwide campaigns to enhance the rights of people with disabilities from a young age. Additionally, it has ratified a number of international agreements in this area.

He continued by saying that this change represented a qualitative shift in the way that children with disabilities, including those who have hearing impairments, are motivated to attend public schools rather than specialized facilities. The educational programs are divided into various departments, including those for science and technology, education and the arts, economic sciences, mathematics and physics, and many others.

The school has unique programs that focus on recognizing hearing impairments, techniques and methods for providing special education to people with disabilities, and the approaches taken in their education. Additionally, the school strives to achieve full school, academic, professional, and social integration for deaf and hard-of-hearing pupils by fostering the capacities of deaf individuals and transmitting scientific knowledge.

The 2012 e-learning initiative was started by the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the State of Qatar with the goal of improving the educational process and delivering current electronic services. Mr. Anis Ahmed Al-Jaradat, Deputy Director for Academic Affairs, Audio Education Complex, spoke about work experience and the use of modern technologies and technology in the Audio Education Complex on utilizing integrated digital technologies to support the Qatari government's attempts to raise the standard of education. The learning management system website, the electronic portfolio project, and the electronic library are some of the most significant projects of this phase. About 420 lessons from classes were broadcast on Qatar Channel.

He emphasized how many successes were made in the phase of distance learning during the Corona pandemic. Every member of the academic staff earned the innovative teacher certification from Microsoft. 70% of them were awarded the Microsoft expert instructor certification.

The new Qatar Education System, he continued, is currently being implemented, and it allows students to complete daily lectures, exams, and assignments. Deaf students are also able to interact with hearing instructors via gestures on the system, be electrically stimulated, and accumulate points and levels for both students and instructors under the guise of an educational game and a weekly leaderboard. This system aims to make it easier for students to comprehend the material on the assessments and tests given to them as part of the Qatar Education System. They well be able to complete those assessments and tests at home, without the help of a teacher or a family member, and to do so on a regular basis without using an excuse for being late.

The State of Kuwait has made significant advancements in the field of deaf education technology, according to Dr. Muhammad Khalaf Al-Ramzi, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kuwaiti Association of Sign Language Interpreters in Kuwait. In 1994 A.D., it pioneered the use of computers in deaf education using specialized programs for speaking, teaching the alphabet, and teaching sign language.

In 1959, Al-Amal School first opened. After Al-Amal School, it is the second school to open in the Arab Republic of Egypt. The teacher has been compelled to employ technology and contemporary methods over the past ten years. This was clear when scheduling appointments with ministries, concluding business, and doing many other things, which was mirrored in the teacher's classroom preparation.

One advancement in Kuwaiti deaf education technology is inclusive education. While this period was formerly a break for pupils, this educational system attempts to continue teaching students through distance learning throughout the adverse weather that the nation experiences, such as intense rain or flooding.

Ms. Shereen Mostafa Ali, a curriculum specialist at the Curriculum Development Center in the Arab Republic of Egypt and a specialist in the decoration industry at Al-Amal School for Audio Education, also discussed the artistic concepts taught by deaf people in the subject of artistic drawing (formation values, formal structural system, and compatible colors). It was discovered that Deaf people have trouble comprehending these ideas as well as the linguistics of their terminology, which has an impact on a number of professional applications. Both sign language and visual stimuli are used to evaluate the program.

The Al-Amal School and Kindergarten for the Deaf Director, Ms. Afaf Al-Haridi, took part in outlining the educational initiatives the school uses and the positive outcomes of her pupils' experiences.

In conclusion, the forum is part of SCHS's ongoing efforts to empower individuals with disabilities, increase public awareness of their challenges, and offer appropriate assistance to both them and their parents in accordance with global best practices.

Al-Amal School for the Deaf in Beit Al-Hikma organized a "dialogue session" for deaf children on the (challenges they face in their lives and the significance of modern technologies in educating and raising the level of deaf culture) as part of the activities of the 48th Arab Deaf Week, which the UAE observes annually. The event was place at the school on Tuesday, May 2, 2023. The Al-Amal School for the Deaf parents and pupils were the intended audience. In order to learn from others' experiences, it also welcomed deaf kids and had discussions about the difficulties, advantages, and disadvantages they encountered. On Thursday, May 5, 2023, a lecture titled "Communicating with People with Hearing and Visual Disabilities" was organized.