Right to live in the inclusive world
Published: 05:05 PM,May 16,2023 | EDITED : 06:05 PM,May 17,2023
Muscat: If we look at disability from a global perspective, the World Health Organization (WHO) data suggests 15 per cent of the world’s population lives with some form of disability. Additionally, almost 240 million children are living with disabilities worldwide.
To have a sustainable life for all, including children with disabilities, is the objective of Oman Vision 2040. The National Centre for Statistics and Information data mentions 42,304 people with disabilities in the Sultanate of Oman, 10,880 among them are children.
With specialised services available for children, the government is putting in many efforts to bring positive changes in the lives of people with disability. However, raising awareness regarding empowering people with disabilities and removing negative stereotypes and misconceptions in the community is not just the responsibility of the government and non-government entities but also the of the country’s citizens.
In order to take a step towards fulfilling this responsibility, the students of Public Relations major from the Department of Mass Communication in UTAS Salalah launched a campaign titled ‘We Were Born Unique’ under the supervision of Dr Arafat al Jameel.
The team dedicated one whole week to various activities for children with disabilities.
During the campaign’s inauguration, the students enlightened the audience regarding the uniqueness of people with disabilities. After that, many activities followed throughout the week, like visits to Al Saada School for Girls and Al Wafaa Centre for people with special needs.
In cooperation with Al Wafaa Centre in Salalah, the students organised an interactive event at Salalah Grand Mall to spread the campaign’s message to a broader societal audience and showcase the talents of people with disabilities.
Dr Raid Belkhair, Assistant Dean for Academic Support, Dr Nawal Salahaddin, Head of the Mass Communication Department, Dr Arafat al Jameel, Campaign Supervisor, Dr Jihad Bani Khalaf, Assistant Professor from UTAS Salalah, and social media celebrities attended the event.
Mohammed bin Humaid al Kalbani, Director-General of Social Development in Dhofar, presided over the event’s closing ceremony as the guest of honour.
Ghada Ali al Daas, one of the PR students, said, “This campaign is a beginning towards the non-ending support we can extend towards this section of the society. We will ensure our contributions in every small and big way.”
People with disabilities have many experiences concerning their environment and surroundings. Their impairments lead to functional difficulties like communicating, making friends or taking care of themselves. For people with disabilities to live better and more fulfilling lives, society must eliminate communication and information, physical and attitudinal barriers and discrimination in any form. Every person with a disability has the right to be included in this beautiful world.
To have a sustainable life for all, including children with disabilities, is the objective of Oman Vision 2040. The National Centre for Statistics and Information data mentions 42,304 people with disabilities in the Sultanate of Oman, 10,880 among them are children.
With specialised services available for children, the government is putting in many efforts to bring positive changes in the lives of people with disability. However, raising awareness regarding empowering people with disabilities and removing negative stereotypes and misconceptions in the community is not just the responsibility of the government and non-government entities but also the of the country’s citizens.
In order to take a step towards fulfilling this responsibility, the students of Public Relations major from the Department of Mass Communication in UTAS Salalah launched a campaign titled ‘We Were Born Unique’ under the supervision of Dr Arafat al Jameel.
The team dedicated one whole week to various activities for children with disabilities.
During the campaign’s inauguration, the students enlightened the audience regarding the uniqueness of people with disabilities. After that, many activities followed throughout the week, like visits to Al Saada School for Girls and Al Wafaa Centre for people with special needs.
In cooperation with Al Wafaa Centre in Salalah, the students organised an interactive event at Salalah Grand Mall to spread the campaign’s message to a broader societal audience and showcase the talents of people with disabilities.
Dr Raid Belkhair, Assistant Dean for Academic Support, Dr Nawal Salahaddin, Head of the Mass Communication Department, Dr Arafat al Jameel, Campaign Supervisor, Dr Jihad Bani Khalaf, Assistant Professor from UTAS Salalah, and social media celebrities attended the event.
Mohammed bin Humaid al Kalbani, Director-General of Social Development in Dhofar, presided over the event’s closing ceremony as the guest of honour.
Ghada Ali al Daas, one of the PR students, said, “This campaign is a beginning towards the non-ending support we can extend towards this section of the society. We will ensure our contributions in every small and big way.”
People with disabilities have many experiences concerning their environment and surroundings. Their impairments lead to functional difficulties like communicating, making friends or taking care of themselves. For people with disabilities to live better and more fulfilling lives, society must eliminate communication and information, physical and attitudinal barriers and discrimination in any form. Every person with a disability has the right to be included in this beautiful world.