• Home
• /
• UAE

Special needs, elderly, youth ... utilise them all

Dubai - The Director-General of the Community Development Authority, Khaled Al Kamda, said this journey of empowerment has not been easy.

Turn the clock back just five years ago, and many would agree the UAE's elderly and differently-abled population were a forgotten community, but not anymore. That once-forgotten subset is now empowered and has become an important part of the country's future.
Speaking to Khaleej Times at the Dubai International Government Achievements Exhibition (DIGAE) on Monday, the Director-General of the Community Development Authority, Khaled Al Kamda, said this journey of empowerment has not been easy.
"People tended to shun certain parts of the community because of assumption, not knowledge. They felt it was too difficult to involve them in society, but it is quite the contrary." Over the past few years, he said the CDA has made it its priority to educate people on how everyone in society can benefit from each other.
"Take the elderly for instance. Years ago it was rare to see elderly citizens out in public. They'd stay locked away at home. But for the youth to appreciate the rapid development of the UAE, these are the people that can teach them about the country and its history."
In 2013, Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, launched the 'My Community... A City For Everyone' to transform Dubai to a disability-friendly city by the year 2020. Since then the CDA has launched a family of smart applications to allow its clients to reach services round-the-clock. This has been one of its biggest achievements, Al Kamda said.
From 'Dubai Volunteer', which opens the doors to all who wish to help others in their community, and 'SanadRelay App', which enables deaf users to immediately communicate through video calls and chat with sign language specialists, he said when a country's community is empowered, "its economy is empowered".
On Wednesday, The Executive Council and CDA will be announcing its new initiative behind the slogan 'Accessible Environments For People With Disability based on Universal Design', a project which Al Kamda simply described as "big news".
"We have been working with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Municipality (DM) on this."
More than 20 government departments from Dubai and Federal Government will join governments from around the world to showcase their smart achievements and online services at the three-day DIGAE event held under the theme: 'Local Government and Global Achievements'.
His Highness Shaikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vive-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai attended Monday's opening ceremony which was hosted by Shaikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development.
kelly@khaleejtimes.com