The department of psychological sciences at Qatar University’s College of Education (CED) has organised a weeklong programme of activities to address the problems faced by people with hearing impairment and bring together students, faculty, researchers, experts and policymakers for discussions on the issue.
The programme - based on the theme “Early Intervention” - started on April 21 with a presentation by the Ministry of Interior (MoI) on emergency services for the deaf.
On the following day, Director of MoI’s Police Training Institute Brigadier Dr Mohamed al-Marri addressed a symposium titled “Safety Culture and Individuals with Hearing Impairment”. There was also a presentation of a student initiative, “A Bracelet Helps Deaf People Distinguish Voices”, by Haya al-Naimi, executive president of Vibro-Hear Company.
On April 23, a translated Chinese short film on individuals with hearing impairments was shown by Al Jazeera Channel and Qatar Cultural & Social Centre for the Deaf.
A lecture on the topic, “Hearing Impairment and its Effects on Child Development”, was delivered by faculty from the psychological sciences department and a guest speaker from the Audio Education Complex (AEC). The day also included a visit to QU by female students from the complex. In turn, the AEC was to host a visit by participants on the following day.
On April 28, department faculty and a guest speaker from the AEC will participate in a lecture, “Early Intervention for Children with Hearing Impairments”.  The following day, children from the CED’s Early Childhood Centre and the AEC will engage in activities based on the theme, “Together we Learn and Play”. Besides, a visit to QU by male students from the complex has also been included in the day’s programme.
Department head Dr Asma al-Attiyah said, “The programme is aimed to continue the dialogue and share experiences on sustainable ways to engage and include people with hearing impairments in all areas of society. In particular, we wanted children from the centre to learn through play how to interact positively with their peers with hearing impairment and to be made aware in general about the inclusion of people who appear to be different from them.”
“The Deafness Week is one of the many programmes the department and the college organise to engage the community and promote the awareness of real-life human issues that the society faces and the solutions to overcome them,” she pointed out.