Thirty-four entities provide specialised services for people with different disabilities as Qatar firmly believes in the rights of persons with disabilities and deals with these rights through a constitutional and legislative approach.
Qatar was at the forefront of the countries signing the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) in 2008. This goes align with Qatar National Vision 2030, which includes the achievement of equality and justice for all groups and sectors of the society.
Recently the National Autism Plan has been implemented which starts from this year and continues till 2021 to improve the lives of these individuals and their families.
Qatar was behind the idea of celebrating World Autism Awareness Day in 2007 to be then adopted at the United Nations General Assembly. The first celebration of this event was in April 2, 2008.
Qatar is dedicated to serve individuals with disabilities and their families in all possible way whether it is in respect to medical, educational and social care. In the field of education, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education plays its role in supporting schools in this field.
The Ministry of Education and Higher Education holds many training workshops for people who work with this category. It also adapts the curricula and tests for students with disabilities and launched an initiative to develop schools of integration aimed at focusing on the rehabilitation of specific schools.
In this regard, Dr. Mona Al Kuwari, Director of the Rowa Center of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, said: “The policies of educational support and integration of students with disabilities have changed for better cause. The Ministry allocated about 50 schools for additional educational support to certain groups of students with disabilities and provided them with support specialists.”
“Rowa Center for Assessment, Consulting and Support provides the highest level of educational services and alternatives to students and aims to meet the needs of students of additional educational support and their teachers and parents in the assessment, consultation and support,” she added.
Qatar passed a law that obligates all government agencies to allocate 2% of the jobs for persons with disabilities. A working group and a committee composed of the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor and Social Affairs and the Ministry of Public Health were set up to identify jobs that persons with disabilities can do for their safety, and the role they can play in work.
The Ministry of Public Health has been keen on including the rights of persons with disabilities in all aspects of the national health strategy. Qatar Rehabilitation Institute is one of the outputs of this strategy. It is the largest center in the Arab region for persons with disabilities that provides various services, including community and career rehabilitation programs and research.
Meanwhile, mental health was given a priority as one of three priorities in health services, based on the results of studies conducted by the State within the National Strategic Plan for Mental Health “2013- 2018”.
In the field of sports, Qatar Sports Federation for Special Needs plays an important role in launching the capabilities of persons with disabilities in the field of sports. This role was reflected in the outstanding results achieved by the youth of the Federation in international sports forums, including the first place in the GCC countries, and the fourth in the Arab world at the World Athletics Championships in London last July. They also won a number of medals at the 2016 Paralympics Games in Rio de Janeiro, and in the Special Olympics World Winter Games in 2017.
Persons with disabilities will also have a role in the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. The Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy has taken important steps to involve the disabled in the “Volunteer Program” to organise the 2022 World Cup activities. Those efforts resulted in the launch of the first “Accessibility Forum” in November 2016.
The Shafallah Center is one of the largest specialized centers for children with physical and mental disabilities. It provides educational, rehabilitation, social, health, recreational and vocational services for students with disabilities. The Center also offers a range of school programs on a modified curriculum for students aged 3-21 years. The curriculum is designed and integrated with a functional approach suited to the needs of students with simple, moderate and severe mental disabilities, and those who have autism spectrum disorders and cerebral palsy accompanied by mental disability.
The Qatar Social and Cultural Center for the Blind (QSCCB) is considered the first center of its kind in the country to provide blind and visually impaired members of male and female with various social and cultural activities, in order to integrate them into society without restrictions that may impede their harmonious integration and active participation in the society.
Talking to QNA, Faisal Al Kooheji, Chairman of QSCCB said: “Center seeks to develop people with visual disabilities in five main areas: the cultural, social, sports and technical aspects as well as special activities for girls. The cultural aspect includes various aspects of life and seeks to integrate people with disabilities to other members of society, in addition to making maximum use of their potential and exchanging experiences between them.”
Qatar Autism Center which supports pre-school students through early detection of various disabilities and the implementation of the latest rehabilitation programs for early intervention commensurate with the abilities of each child.
Amira Ismail, Director General of Qatar Autism Center said: “Center is responsible for supporting and motivating children with Autism Spectrum Disorders by providing counseling services, which are based on psychological examination of the child and family. The center provides services for children of both male and female from the age of 2 to 16 years and in both languages (Arabic and English) and promotes social integration.”
Qatar has regional and international contributions to support persons with disabilities. It currently chairs the Arab Federation for the Blind and offers various support to the Federation, the Chairman of the Federation Dr. Khaled Al Nuaimi confirmed.
Dr. Al Nuaimi said: “Qatar provides assistance and valuable contributions to all people with disabilities, including the blind, at the internal and external levels, adding that Qatar has been a supporter and the host of the Arab Federation for the Blind since August 2007.”
