AISHA LETS HER SEWING – AND HER SENSE OF CHARITY – DO THE TALKING AT DUBAI POLICE
▶ Nawal Al Ramahi hears one woman’s inspirational story – and why she refuses to let disability slow her down
Aisha Saeed deftly passes yards of material under a bouncing needle to produce a uniform for a grateful Dubai Police officer. “I don’t have a disability, I just have a different ability,” she says.
For an outsider looking in Ms Saeed, 34, is no different to her colleagues. While she was born with congenital hearing loss she has never let her deafness get in the way of her aspirations.
At her station in the police tailoring centre, where she has worked for 17 years, Ms Saeed can tailor an officer’s jacket in about an hour.
“Disability is no bar to success. The real disability is in the mind not the body,” she says.
That is a philosophy she learnt from her parents who, she says, treated her no differently than her siblings.
“My mother used to ask me to do lots of housework and we were six children in the family. I helped to raise my five youngest brothers and sisters,” Ms Saeed says.
“I was growing up and refusing the thought of being disabled,” she says. “I started reading lots of books.
“Some of them were about religion, history and literature. Others were about the jobs and choices that I can have as a person who suffers from hearing impairment and speech difficulties.”
Of Yemeni origin, Ms Saeed was born in the UAE and while she did not continue her formal education beyond high school, she now spends her time studying for training courses and is an avid reader.
“I studied until Grade 6 in Al Thiqa school in Sharjah. The school is for people with disabilities and used to cost my family a fortune,” Ms Saeed says.
After she stopped going to school she began to feel herself falling behind others. At home, she would keep busy by designing dresses and trying to make them, but that became a very lonely experience.
“By age 17, I made several and dresses. During this age, I felt I was left on my own and wasn’t sure of what I would do for living,” she says.
Ms Saeed’s life took a turn for the better that year when her father applied for a job on her behalf.
“My father came rushing to my bedroom to tell me that Dubai Police had accepted me as a tailor of female officers’ uniforms,” she says.
“This is when I started to make money, support my family and became a productive member in the community. I started tailoring uniforms that have a powerful impact on people.”
While working for Dubai Police, Ms Saeed spends her spare time recycling old garments into beautiful clothes that she donates to the underprivileged, teaching others to do the same.
“After I finish my working hours, I teach women the skills of tailoring and how to use sewing machines to help them make a living out of it,” she says. “I can’t see a needy person and not step up to help them.
“It is very important to make difference in people’s lives and I devoted mine to helping others.”
Meanwhile, Ms Saeed shows no sign of slowing down and is studying computer science with plans to work in the field.
“I am pursuing my dream to become an expert in computer science,” she says.
Ms Saeed’s determination and selflessness is admired by her colleagues at Dubai Police. Her workmate and mentor, Fawzieh Mohammed, who is a technical supervisor at Dubai Police and has known her for 17 years, translates her sign language into speech.
“Ms Saeed is an inspiration to others as she proves nothing is impossible if one puts one’s heart and mind on
it,” Ms Mohammed says. “She is a hard worker and selfless person who devoted her life to help her family and the people in need.”
Despite being unable to talk and hear, Ms Saeed has developed a good understanding among her colleagues and the female police officers for whom she tailors for, Ms Mohammed says.
“She is an example of a person who succeeded despite her disability.”
After I finish my work, I teach women the skills of tailoring and how to use sewing machines to help them make a living