A UNIQUE PARTICIPATION FOR SCHS IN THE GLOBAL KLAARA CONFERENCE 2021 FOR EASY READ
Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) participated in the Second Conference for Easy Read Researches (KLAARA 2021), which was organized virtually on Monday and Tuesday 30-31 August 2021 by the Swiss University for Applied Sciences and Arts Northwestern Switzerland.
One of the most important goals of the international conference is to promote research on modified and easy-to-read language to communicate with people who face various difficulties in this field, especially people with intellectual disabilities and people with learning difficulties.
The city's participation in this conference is unique because it is the first in the Arab world. Through it, the efforts of Easy Read in the city in particular and the Arab world in general were shown.
Mr. Muhammad Al-Nabulsi, Technical Operations Officer in the city, presented a working paper at the conference entitled (Easy Read in the Arab World). He talked about the challenges facing persons with disabilities in the Arab world and enabling them to have their right to access knowledge.
He pointed out that easy reading within the Arab world is still a new concept. It lacks the qualified people to create documents in Easy Read method and support it, and clarify doubts about the reading abilities of adults with intellectual disabilities and learning difficulties.
Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) is the first organization for people with disabilities in the United Arab Emiratis since 1979. The organization is leading the work with people with disabilities in UAE with a number of initiatives ran by specialized staff to support people with disabilities. One of its recent initiatives is to increase the awareness about Easy Read and building the capacity by training.
The working paper highlighted the city’s qualitative contribution in this field, starting with organizing an online training program for two weeks in cooperation with (Easy Read Online) from the United Kingdom. The training aims at developing the trainees’ skills, setting Arabic standards for Easy Read that people find within the Humanitarian Services website on the Internet. In addition to organizing a global forum, the first of its kind locally and regionally, on Easy Read last May under the title of Al-Manal Forum (Simply... Simple Reading and Disability).
Al-Nabulsi explained that simplified reading is a kind of information facilitation such as Braille and audio books, through which teachers provide information to people with learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities using simple and uncomplicated vocabulary and the use of appropriate graphic images that help the reader understand the content of each paragraph and the clear design.
Among the most important types of documents that people use in simplified reading are (introductory guides (introducing the services of the institution), government procedures and evidence (such as how to obtain a service), (laws and instructions (such as the rights and duties of the tenant), textbooks, and various information).
For more information about Easy Read, visit the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services website www.schs.ae.