DOHA: Participants at the Definitely Able conference that concluded recently expressed hope for a more inclusive society and greater opportunities for the disabled.
The artists, scholars and government representatives laid out their vision for the conference’s legacy, from having more disabled adults as visible role models to disabled children in the community, the enactment of policies that help increase access to assistive technology, and the start of a change in perception of disability in society.
“We need to talk less about ‘special’ and more about ‘definitely able.’ Before something becomes a non-issue it must be made an issue. That’s what this conference has done for disability in the region,” said conference host and disability champion Simon Minty.
He encouraged stakeholders in the community to keep improving, and not to worry about getting things right the first time.
“We believe that the conversation about inclusion for disabled people has now started in earnest. We thank the many participants from the Qatar government and civil society organisations including the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, Supreme Education Council and others that took the time to be with us during the conference. Pairing their perspective with the experience from the international speakers resulted in a rich dialogue that lays out many areas and opportunities for collaborative work in the future towards inclusion for all,” said Marjo Louw, President of Sasol Qatar.
The accompanying Ilham Art Exhibition saw hundreds of visitors come to appreciate works of art from seven disabled artists inspired by the collection of the Museum of Islamic Art. School groups, including the Al Ruqayya Preparatory came to see the art and hear about the artists who created the works as a means of demonstrating the abilities of persons with disabilities. MIA trainers helped visiting students create new art works that they were able to take home as a memory of their visit.
British Council Qatar Director Martin Hope, said, “We received fantastic response to the conference and exhibition, with people coming from all walks of life to see the art created by the disabled artists. It is not disabled art, however, it is art inspired by the MIA collection and the experiences of the talented artists who created them. British Council is pleased to have worked with partners across society to make this ground breaking event a possibility. We will continue to work on the issue of inclusion via cultural understanding and keep the conversation going long after the closing.”
Representatives from education, accessibility and technology brought innovative thinking and challenging ideas to the table conference presented by Sasol and the British Council, in partnership with Qatar Museums.
Along with the many ideas and concepts shared, tangible and lasting gestures were made toward increasing inclusion for disabled people in Qatar. Oryx GTL announced at the conference that it will donate 10 specially equipped buses to Shafallah Centre to enable mobility for disabled students to travel from home to school.
The Peninsula
