By Joey Aguilar/Staff Reporter


Performances by people with disabilities (PWDs) in Qatar highlighted the opening of the two-day Definitely Able Conference at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) in Doha yesterday.
A group of PWDs from Al Noor Institute for the Blind enthralled participants and guests with their rendition of Qatar’s National Anthem on stage.
Rebecca Chalouhi, a 13-year-old student from north Lebanon, who suffers from joint dislocation and “slow bone growth”, received loud applause from the audience after singing Celine Dion’s My heart will go on.
Several other PWDs joined the conference, which was hosted by UK-based Simon Minty, also a PWD who is now the director of Sminty Ltd, a disability and diversity training company.
Under the patronage of HE Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad al-Thani, the British Council has partnered with Sasol to organise the conference and Ilham Art Exhibition.
Like Chalouhi, PWD and Paralympic champion Chris Holmes was also applauded by the audience with his inspiring message to the participants.
He is one of Britain’s most successful Paralympians, winning nine gold, five silver and two bronze medals across four games, including a haul of six golden medals at Barcelona 1992.
Holmes said Qatar is “truly fantastic, a country on the move doing great stuff, fantastic work”, and has the potential to be the “most accessible, inclusive and most connected society”, especially for PWDs.
He urged fellow PWDs to believe in what they are trying to achieve in life and make it happen.  “It is not easy, it comes down to the vision, the mission, the commitment and a lot of hard work,” he stressed.
“Crucially, it comes down to this: how much do we believe in inclusion, not as a nice to-do but as a must-do, not a minimum but as a maximum if we are truly to realise the possibility of every citizen rise across our society, right across the world.”
In his speech, Qatar’s Ministry of Labour Population Undersecretary Ahmed Nasr al-Nasr noted it was the duty of the ministry to address the various challenges facing PWDs (or people with special needs) by building partnerships.
“What was needed was to revisit the policies of the government in order to incorporate all the people with special needs, emphasise on their accessibility and level of knowledge and make sure they are included in the workforce,” he said.
The ministry has also created programmes for PWDs to weigh their capabilities for employment, according to al-Nasr.
He added that polishing the skills of PWDs and giving them proper education will pave the way to build a bridge between them and public authorities.
He lauded the conference, saying it is in line with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs’ efforts to create a vibrant labour market that is open to all persons, regardless of disability, gender or other factors.
After the speeches, four 90-minute sessions took place yesterday, highlighting the topics of disability legislation, employability, inclusive learning technologies and attitudes and disability terminology.
Each session included a question-and-answer section to allow audience members to contribute and explore the topics further with the panellists and chairpersons.

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