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National project for special needs people launched

Called the National Inclusion Project, the initiative aims to raise awareness about the people with special needs and promote opportunities for these individuals.

“The idea is to establish and strengthen the provision for special needs people through specific strategies,” said Mohammed Fadel Al Hameli, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors of the organisation.

Speaking to the Press yesterday at the Emirates Palace, he said the project would be achieved through developing the mechanisms that facilitate the services provided for disabled using the already existing resources.

“We hope to engage the local community to effectively participate in the planning and application of this project,” he said.

Being held under the patronage of Shaikha Fatima bint Mubarak, President of the Family Development Foundation (FDF), the project, with the theme ‘Making a difference’, would kick off on February 24 and continue till October 23. It would cover all the 13 centres for the disabled in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.

Hamili said: “It aims at comprehensive inclusion for the disabled at social, functional, academic, health and environmental levels, as well as ensuring equality of opportunities for them in all fields of life and creating multi-agency working partnerships at organisational and individual levels.”

The project also would highlight the need to build respect for the life-long independence of individuals with special needs and provide them with appropriate living and working environments, appropriate vocational education and life skills by removing social and physical barriers, he said. The participants of the project would be rewarded with a golden grateful shield, or a silver grateful shield or a letter of appreciation, according to certain criteria.

Ali bin Salim Al Kaabi, Head of the Broad of Trustees for FDF, praised Shaikh Fatima for adopting this initiative to ensure stability of the social fabric.

Etisalat, Abu Dhabi Islamic Bank, Abu Dhabi Airport Company (ADAC), Abu Dhabi Chamber of Commerce, the National Drilling Company, Wafa for Financial Services and Manazel for Real Estate are sponsoring the project.

Ali Al Kutubi, Director of the Civil Service Department, said based on the Cabinet instructions, his department would increase the quota for the disabled in the public sector by two per cent. The disabled formed 10-15 per cent of the total employees in the public sector now, he said.

Sultan Al Dhairi, Deputy Manager of Etisalat’s Abu Dhabi Region, said Etisalat would take part in the project by offering a 50 per cent discount for services such as Push to Talk, mobile MMS and SMS, fixed 3.5 G mobile data access, 3G Video/Voice Calls and Al Shamil Broadband during the project.

• UAE