UAE observes Day of People with Disabilities
The IDPD is annually observed on Dec 3 every year to promote equal participation of persons with disabilities
The UAE observed the International Day of People with Disabilities, id pd, on Thursday. The IDPD is annually observed on Dec 3 to promote the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities and to take action for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development.
The theme this year is “Building Back Beter: toward a disability-inclusive, accessible and sustainable post COVID-19 World”.
Nasser Ismail, Assistant Under-secretary for Social Care Affairs at the Ministry of Community Development, revealed that this year, the ministry has nearly 20 developmental achievements that support and empower people of determination, as part of the UAE’S commitment to adopting Article No. 11 (Situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD.
Ismail added that the UAE’S leadership and government have protected and em powered people of determination, including from the coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemic. The country provides them with health, education and food services, as well as for their other needs, and prioritises them in terms of services and health, such as enabling them to perform home medical tests and offering remote education and assessment services, he noted.
He also pointed out that these achievements by the ministry in cooperation with its partners from various authorities are in line with the objectives of the national policy for empowering people of determination.
At the end of the third quarter of 2020, the number of people of determination in the UAE totalled 25,590, including 14,262 citizens and 11,328 residents. According to the National Classification of People of Determination, impairments, disabilities and handicaps include mental disability, communication disorders, autism spectrum disorder, atention deficit disorder, hyperactivity, specific learning difficulties, visual impairment, hearing impairment, visual and hearing impairment, physical disabilities, and psychosocial disorders.
The ministry’s 20 achievements this year include the launch of a remote learning and rehabilitation system in public and private centres and the adoption of the “People of Determination Education Plan Plaform” that benefited 765 students, which is an e-plaform aimed at drating individual educational goals for students at people of determination centres.
The ministry also launched a series of initiatives during the past period, such as: “Thank you our Frontline Defenders” and “My Family with Me” smart application. The Ministry was able to conduct a study on (1808) people of determination and parents to find out the impact of “home quarantine on these categories.
The ministry has provided psychological, social and rehabilitation support to the people of determination remotely as well as supporting initiatives and guidelines that strengthen and support the efforts of teachers and parents in distance rehabilitation remotely such as the “Home Schooling Guide for people with intellectual disabilities and autism”, the “Remote Intervention Guide for Children with Disabilities and Developmental Delays in Early Childhood Stages”, in addition to an integrated program for parents (psychological aid bag - rest assured).
It has supported the people of determination mentally through “Mashagel” project for rehabilitation and remote employment, where the people of determination managed to conduct 8000 bracelets of determination and manufacture 195 cans since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. The people of determination also achieved a new innovation “mask holder.”
Recently, the Ministry of Health and Prevention, MOHAP, organised a virtual session for families, people of determination, and its employees and customers, as well as for the staff of other federal and local government institutions.
The session, which was atended by Dr. Amin Hussein Al Amiri, Assistant Under-secretary of the Ministry’s for Public Health Policy and Licences and Chairman of the 50-year Preparation Plan, along with the ministry’s senior officials, was in line with the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, to engage community members in the design project for the UAE’S next fity years, through encouraging participation in developing the themes and components of the UAE Centennial 2071.