Social media platform to be launched for people of determination in UAE

Abu Dhabi - Inclusive is among the first cohort of Ma'an Social Incubator as one of 10 startups in Abu Dhabi.

An exclusive social media platform for people of determination will soon be available in the UAE.
To be launched in mid-March, the online interactive platform Inclusive - the first-of-its-kind in the country and the region - will enable supporters of inclusion in local communities to connect, collaborate with each other and empower the movement of inclusion of People of Determination into the community.
Inclusive is among the first cohort of Ma'an Social Incubator as one of 10 startups in Abu Dhabi. "This is a unique social media platform for people of determination where they can interact with each other and other members of the community," Hafsa Qadeer, a Pakistani expat, who founded the platform told Khaleej Times on Sunday. "The platform works like Facebook or other social media platforms, but is centered around people of determination. It is all about inclusion."
Inclusive will provide a secure, online and accessible space for everyone with all abilities to discuss and action inclusion of people of determination into their local communities. It will also serve as an online umbrella for all things related to inclusion so the community can collaborate to integrate inclusion of People of Determination into everyday activities and events.
She explained that the platform will have three main features but they will start with the 'Events' page which will show all activities where people of determination have participated.
Qadeer had created the inclusive platform driven by the lack of credible information and accessible activities for her sibling, Ahmed Qadeer, a Person of Determination who was diagnosed with Spinal Bifida at birth. "Growing up, I realised it's not people who are disabled, but the approach of a community towards a person of determination. It's important to realise inclusion is a generalised behaviour within communities.
"Through our three pillars: community, awareness and opportunity and under our initiative #IAmInclusive, we encourage everyone in the community to collaborate with us and make their programmes more inclusive, we are here as catalysts to facilitate this transition to more inclusive communities," explained Qadeer.
"Through our social media platform, we can integrate inclusion in daily lifestyles, and we are grateful for the positive response our initiatives receive from residents and nationals of the UAE.
"Under the UAE National Policy for Empowering People with Different Abilities, the term 'people of determination' is used to recognise people with different physical, cognitive, invisible and other various abilities. We believe this is a great initiative from the UAE government to create a positive conversation about inclusion," she added.
According to Qadeer, Inclusive has organised three nationwide campaigns, including the first-ever online recipe contest in the UAE for teams of determination, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Culinary Season.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com

• Abu Dhabi