QNADohaQatar has harnessed all the possible avenues to care for persons with disabilities at the regional and international levels, Minister of Social Development and Family HE Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al Misnad has said.During her chairmanship of the two-day workshop on Disability Classification in the Arab World, organized in Doha by the Ministry of Social Development and Family in cooperation with the Secretariat General of the Arab League, the minister stressed the importance of empowering persons with disabilities in the Arab world to be part of the community. During the past years, strenuous efforts have been made to empower persons with disabilities in the pursuit of integrating them into the community. However, such efforts remained below expectations in the Arab framework, she said. The reason behind this is the lack of policies and programmes to support persons with disabilities in the Arab world through which we can ensure inclusion and interaction, she added.The minister called for adopting a unified Arab classification based on practical components that goes beyond the medical standards, such as the skill standard, the societal standard and the educational standard. “We have a moral responsibility today to lay the foundation for it, before it becomes a professional responsibility,” she pointed out.She reiterated the readiness of Qatar to receive football fans from persons with disabilities during FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, affirming that in the past few years Qatar has witnessed unprecedented preparations to ensure that tournament becomes friendly for the persons with disabilities.She added that a number of stadiums have been equipped with specialized sensory rooms that provide a perfect atmosphere for children with autism and neuro-behavioural disorders to enjoy the matches in a safe space equipped with all the advanced tools and devices. As part of the preparations to welcome football fans from outside Qatar, Hamad International Airport will host a hall that provides services to spectators with disabilities and autism, the minister said. The hall will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology as well as educational and rehabilitation equipment aimed at providing the best travel experience they deserve, she added.
