‘Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum’ Organizes “Visual Disability in Jordan - Reality and Aspiration” Panel Session
AMMAN - Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Knowledge Forum (TAG-KF), a member of Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global (TAG.Global), organized a digital panel entitled “Visual Disability in Jordan - Reality and Aspiration” , in collaboration with the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, through live streaming on the Forum’s Facebook page.
During the session, held in conjunction with the World Braille Day, TAG-KF hosted the Secretary General of the Higher Council, Dr. Muhannad Al-Azza, Ms. Rawan Barakat, founder and manager of Raneen Foundation and Dr. Osama Al-Sayyed, president of Shams AlamalSociety for the Rights of Persons with Disability.
Dr. Al-Azza stated that the establishment of the Council aimed at becoming the institutional and legal umbrella for persons with disabilities in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan as well as to provide them with a decent and sustainable life based on equity and equality.
Furthermore, Dr. Azza highlighted the Council’s role in drawing strategic policies and plans for disability related issues in Jordan, in addition to the provision of technical support to government entities to help them enforce the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, referring to the annual report issued by the Council on the extent of commitment and recommendations.
For her part, Barakat shed light on the great challenge that the persons with visual disabilities are experiencing in schools and universities in the absence of integrated education, Braille-written curricula or audio-books which enable financially capable people to acquire better quality of education compared with the underprivileged segment in the society.
Barakat underscored the importance of making schools a friendly-environment for persons with disabilities, as well as providing them with qualified teachers to deal with them properly, calling at the same time for their integration in school classes along with students without disabilities to provide them equal opportunities in education and integration.
For his part, Dr. Al-Sayyed stressed the importance of changing society's negative perceptions of and attitudes toward persons with disabilities, by enforcing the existing laws and granting them equal opportunities, pointing out that disability lies in the surrounding environment which hinders individuals from practicing their life normally.
He further highlighted the importance of qualifying and training persons with disabilities to give them the opportunity to compete for jobs and take part in economic life, in addition to turning them into productive people who will benefit their families, their society and the national economy.
For his part, TAG-KF Executive Director and Talal Abu-Ghazaleh Global (TAG.Global) Education and Youth Consultant, Mr. Fadi Daoud, who moderated the session, pointed out that the digital virtual sessions conducted by the Forum are considered the best way to easily communicate with the audience and followers.
Daoud also pointed out that TAG-KF takes the responsibility of advocating all social and economic issues including persons with disabilities by raising awareness on the challenges that face them, as well as by offering recommendations that contribute to improving their conditions.
Statistics provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) indicate that there are 39 million blind people worldwide, 7 million out of them live in the Arab region.