Closed minds hinder disabled community

Abdulla Al Shaibani; Khaled Al Kamda, member of the higher committee for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities; and Dr Salem Alshafei, director of policies and programmes, rights of persons with disabilities at the general secretariat of the Executive Council of Dubai at the Inclusive Development Forum Press Conference in Dubai on Monday.

The biggest challenge for people with disabilities is the mentality of others. Once this mind-set has been broken and awareness stepped up, only then can a city become disabled-friendly.
On Monday, the Executive Council of Dubai officially announced the upcoming 'Dubai Inclusive Development Forum' which will take place at the Madinat Jumeirah on October 11 and 12.
A debut event for Dubai, the forum is part of the 'My Community' initiative which aims to establish Dubai as a fully inclusive, disability-friendly city by the year 2020.
But why wait till 2020? In an interview with Khaleej Times, Majid Al Osaimi, Vice-President of the UAE Disabled Sports Federation and Member of the Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities said breaking down the stigma surrounding people with disabilities takes time.
"When we talk about challenges, each person is different. A blind man may struggle with employment, whereas someone in a wheelchair may struggle with access. For me, people's mentality is the biggest hurdle."
Wheelchair-bound Al Osaimi said when he first tried to air his problems about access to buildings around Dubai 10 or 15 years ago, his cries went unheard.
"That was because disability awareness was low. That is changing now and events like the 'Dubai Inclusive Development Forum' ensure our voices are heard."
The forum is a platform for collective cooperation on five strategic pillars for the protection of the rights of persons with disabilities, including social protection, availing public services and utilities, employment, education, health, habilitation and rehabilitation.
Its two major goals is to appoint a consultant that can review, monitor and develop facilities in the city to better suit the disabled, as well as adopt a best practice legislative framework to cover their needs.
"This forum is an important station in defining and educating the community about disabilities. It will showcase Dubai's successes and discuss areas where improvements need to be made," Al Osaimi said.
Both local and international experts will host six panel discussions to share knowledge and experience on ways to make Dubai more disabled-friendly.
It will host 13 international speakers and 17 local speakers, with 50 per cent of the panelists from the disabled community. "We cannot make changes in regulations without the voices of those with disabilities," Al Osaimi said.
Speaking at the official announcement, Abdulla Al Shaibani, Secretary-General of the Executive Council of Dubai and Vice-Chairman of the Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, said the 2020 vision is achievable, but it will be tough.
"Many people ask why the vision is for 2020 and not now. All new buildings in the city follow codes and legislation for disabled access, but old buildings do not. This is a big challenge and it will take time to implement the correct legislation."
Like Al Osaimi, Al Shaibani said the challenge is people's mentality towards those with disabilities.
"When we talk about making life better for people with disabilities we have to include everyone in that. We have to cater to the disabled but educate those who are not disabled."
Though the UAE has no specific data relating to the amount of disabled people active in the workplace, laws have been laid down that compel all private and public institutions to hire at least two per cent of their staff from those who are with disabilities.
And according to Al Osaimi, unemployment within the disabled community is lower than ever.
"Employment among the disabled community is active. This proves that high inclusion initiatives and programmes are working here."
Among the other attendees at the conference were Khaled Al Kamda, Director General of the Community Development Authority and Member of the Higher Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; and Dr Salem Alshafei, Director of Policies and Programmes, Rights of Persons with Disabilities at the General Secretariat of Executive Council of Dubai. - kelly@khaleejtimes.com
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