Al Noor Center for the Blind has launched an initiative meant to strengthen the inclusion of people with visual disabilities in society, reflecting the idea that their light is among the community and highlighting those persons' capabilities and achievements.
Having been launched in partnership with Qatar Media Corporation, the initiative comprises a combination of societal awareness programs, interactive experiences, media and digital content, as well as efforts to foster partnerships with a variety of community institutions.
Director of the Communication and Media Office at Al Noor Center for the Blind Shaheen Al Sulaiti highlighted that the initiative is primarily part of the center's thrust toward expanding the scope of awareness and societal engagement and, at the end of the day, deepening the presence of those persons in various fields and engaging with them.
The initiative is built around a fourfold set of key goals, Al Sulaiti outlined, stating that these include substantially raising awareness, strengthening inclusion, empowering people with visual disabilities, and highlighting their abilities and achievements.
He noted that achieving these goals requires the substantive integration of the roles of educational, service, cultural, sports and media institutions, given that inclusion is invariably a shared responsibility that does not rest with any one entity.
Al Sulaiti further pointed out that the six-month program comprises a wide range of activities and events, explaining that October events will spotlight independence through World Sight Day and White Cane Safety Day, while November programs will address topics related to children and families, along with educational visits.
December events will focus on inclusion, community participation and highlighting capabilities, while January will feature activities related to Braille and its importance in education and access to knowledge, Al Sulaiti remarked, affirming that several community and awareness-raising activities will also continue throughout February and March.
He explained that through the initiative, the center seeks to create an impact that extends beyond the events themselves by substantially raising awareness of the rights and capabilities of people with visual disabilities, helping dispel stereotypes, and encouraging institutions to develop their services and practices in ways that enhance accessibility and inclusion.The initiative also seeks to build partnerships whose impact can continue beyond the initiative's conclusion, Al Sulaiti elaborated.
The initiative suggests that inclusion is a shared responsibility that requires sustained engagement across different sectors and continued efforts to ensure that people with visual disabilities can participate fully in society.
In a separate development, the center marked World Teachers' Day, observed annually on Oct. 5, in recognition of the role teachers and educational staff play in supporting and empowering people with visual disabilities, developing their capabilities and skills, and strengthening their independence and participation across different areas of life.
Overall, the center's observance of the occasion also pays tribute to the efforts teachers make to provide professional educational services that prioritize the individual needs of the center's members by employing accessible pedagogical methods and tools and leveraging assistive technologies and Braille.
These efforts enhance opportunities to access knowledge and acquire skills with greater independence and effectiveness.
Executive Director of Al Noor Center for the Blind Mishaal Bin Abdullah Al Nuaimi emphasized that teachers are the fulcrum of the service systems the center provides, highlighting that their roles go far beyond imparting knowledge to encompass capacity-building, fostering self-confidence and self-reliance, and helping discover and advance members’ capabilities.
The center has always been committed to investing in strengthening the functionaries' professional capabilities and capitalizing on high-end assistive technologies and methods so as to keep abreast of developments in visual impairment and leave an enduring footprint through the services provided to those members, Al Nuaimi pointed out.
He noted that the center seeks to integrate the roles of educators, rehabilitation staff, specialists and families into an all-encompassing support system that helps members develop their potential, strengthen their independence and participate more fully in the community.
