ARABIC AUDIO LIBRARY AN AMAZING INITIATIVE
The UAE has always remained in the forefront when it comes to the welfare and empowerment of the people of determination. Various INITIATIVES HAVE BEEN LAUNCHED over THE years to reaffirm the premise that people with disabilities are entitled to the same treatment as everybody else. The launching of the Dubai Audio Library, the largest Arabic audio library in the world, by Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, is another amazing initiative that will certainly go a long way in spreading a culture of reading among the people of determination and integrating them into the community.
The Roads and Transport Authority and website Bookshare. org deserve praise for collaborating on the project, which targets seven million visually impaired people in the Arab world.
The launch of the project has coincided with International Volunteers Day. The noble project offers a good chance for volunteers to contribute and they should grab the opportunity.
THERE ARE two ways they CAN Contribute. THE irst Is scanning pages of books and uploading them. The second is proof-reading books in their digital format before uploading them.
The organisers have planned the right method of selecting books on topics of positive IDEAS, CONIDENCE BUILDING, Determination In coping with life challenges and enhancing imagination.
It was His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, who initially declared that people with special needs should be referred to as “people of determination” to recognise their achievements In DIFFERENT ields.
Sheikh Mohammed has always maintained that people of determination represent an integral component of UAE’S society AND HAVE THE RIGHT to Enjoy A Happy AND DIGNIIED LIFE like other community groups.
Hence, uploading “Zayed Diwan,” a collection of 87 poems written By SHEIKH MOHAMMED, As THE irst Book to THE DUBAI Audio Library makes perfect sense. Interestingly, the number of poems represents Sheikh Zayed’s age when he passed away.
The UAE earlier created the People of Determination Advisory Council to empower this segment and enable them to play an important part in the country’s development.
It is indeed heartening that People of Determination enjoy a prominent place in the nation’s priorities. Such praiseworthy initiatives reinforce the fact that other countries can take a cue from the UAE and initiate efforts so that people of determination can fully participate in society.