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'Inclusion is not charity': How Abu Dhabi's disability conversation has changed
Experts say the UAE has moved from a welfare-based approach to a rights-based model for People of Determination
- PUBLISHED: Wed 17 Jun 2026, 1:43 PM
Three decades ago, disability support in the UAE was largely framed in terms of care, welfare, and charity. Today, experts involved in Abu Dhabi's inaugural Damj Awards say the conversation has fundamentally changed, from helping People of Determination to recognising their right to participate equally in every aspect of society.
That shift was a recurring theme among international experts, advocates and People of Determination attending the Abu Dhabi Excellence Award for People of Determination Inclusion - Damj on Tuesday.
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Dr Eman Gaad, professor of inclusive education at the British University in Dubai and a member of the Damj jury, said the transformation has been dramatic.
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"Thirty years ago, it was very much a charity-based approach," she said. "Today, it is a rights-based approach. There is awareness about rights, participation and meaningful inclusion."
Dr Gaad, who has spent nearly three decades in the UAE and contributed to disability legislation and national policy development, said the awards reflect a new stage in the country's inclusion journey.
"For years, we celebrated individuals. What is different here is that we are recognising institutions that have built inclusion into their systems."
'Five years of progress in 50'
Dr Victor Pineda, president of World Enabled and a member of the Damj Award Board of Trustees, said the UAE's progress accelerated significantly.
"What the UAE has achieved in five years, many countries took 50 years to accomplish," he said.
According to Dr Pineda, one of Abu Dhabi's strengths is coordinating across sectors instead of relying on a single agency.
He pointed to growing links among transport, healthcare, education, tourism, and employment systems.
"That ecosystem approach is what separates good projects from great projects," he said.
Dr Pineda, who has a neuromuscular condition and uses a wheelchair, argued that disability should not be viewed mainly through a medical lens.
"The question is not what condition a person has. The question is what barriers exist and how they can be removed."
Inclusion becoming visible
For Emirati photographer and HR executive Sultan Al Seyabi, these changes are visible in daily life.
"Today, People of Determination are everywhere," he said.
Al Seyabi, who works for aerospace company Sanad, recalled that finding suitable employment after graduating was much harder than it is today.
Now, he says, workplaces are increasingly designed around accessibility needs, including parking spaces, building access, and flexible work arrangements.
"The environment is prepared. It makes a huge difference."
He believes momentum accelerated after the launch of Abu Dhabi's People of Determination Strategy.
"The efforts became bigger and more coordinated." Al Seyabi is also the founder of Hemma Cookies.
From welfare to opportunity
Mike Adams OBE, chief executive of UK disability consultancy Purple and a Damj jury member, believes the next stage of inclusion will require businesses to see accessibility not as an obligation but as an opportunity.
"Traditionally, disability has been viewed through charity, welfare and government responsibility," he said.
"The conversation should be about value, contribution, community and opportunity."
Adams praised Abu Dhabi's leadership for placing inclusion high on the public agenda but stressed that no society has fully achieved inclusion yet.
"We're not there," he said. "But we are getting closer."
He recalled growing up in an era when ramps, lifts and accessible facilities were often absent.
"Events like this create momentum," he said. "Inclusion should become the norm, not something that only a few organisations understand."
For many involved in the Damj Awards, that cultural shift may be the programme's biggest achievement.
Rather than asking how society can help People of Determination, the discussion is increasingly focused on how systems can remove barriers so everyone can participate equally.
As Dr Pineda put it: "Disability becomes normalised when society is designed for everyone."
Several experts linked the acceleration in inclusion efforts to the launch of Abu Dhabi's People of Determination Strategy in 2020. Dr Victor Pineda said the strategy helped bring government entities, businesses and community organisations under a common framework, creating what he described as a coordinated ecosystem for inclusion rather than isolated initiatives.
Dr Eman Gaad similarly pointed to the policy shift as a turning point that helped move the conversation from welfare and charity towards rights, participation and measurable outcomes. Sultan Al Seyabi also credited the strategy with driving wider engagement across sectors, saying inclusion efforts became "bigger and more coordinated" following its introduction.
