JEDDAH, 17 October 2004 — A woman in her twenties came with her mother crying to the Education Supervisory Administration. She graduated three years ago with a diploma in computing and have taken several courses to update her skills in addition to studying embroidery and tailoring for two years and she still cannot find a job.
Abeer Zailaie is deaf and suffers from slight neurological atrophy that affects her movement but it is not an obstacle to her intellectually. Like most female hearing-impaired graduates, she has proceeded with her studies full of ambition and hope only to spend the rest of her days at home depressed.
“Abeer is hardworking and full of life and was looking forward to being a productive person in society, but she was shocked by the rejection and lack of opportunities. Now she is undergoing psychological therapy for depression and anxiety,” said her mother.
What hurts her most is the looks of mockery, grumbling or even pity she sees in people’s eyes.
“What I need is understanding and acceptance and actual support,” she said. She came to the Education Supervisory Administration for assistance and guidance but there is not much they can do for her.
Last week, a forum for the employment of those with special needs was held in Jeddah. It was organized by the Human Resources Development Fund in collaboration with the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce & Industry (JCCI).
Despite all efforts, in addition to social and cultural negative attitude being an obstacle, handicapped women seem to be more neglected.
Omalsaad Balkhoyor, the director of the special education unit at the Education Supervisory Administration, explains that the problem many of the female graduates from Al-Amal Institute for the hearing impaired face is the lack of channels that absorb their energies and skills after graduation.
There is the Club for the Deaf, which offers them a chance for training in various things and socializing, but it is not enough to satisfy their desire for a normal productive life.
Al-Amal Institute was founded eleven years ago providing general education, Islamic studies and skills development training for the deaf from elementary to high school levels. It also provides psychological and social care. However, after completing the equivalent of high school at the institute, they do not have further options to pursue their studies or work.
Unlike visually handicapped women who can be enrolled in the university and employed through the Civil Services Department, the hearing impaired do not have these options.
“There are no higher education institutes that can accommodate them and part of the reason is that their curriculum at the institute is different from the general public curriculum,” said Balkhoyor.
This problem has been addressed when the institute began last year teaching the regular curriculum at first grade elementary in order to apply it gradually in the subsequent school years.
The director of the southern branch of Al-Amal Institute for girls elementary level, Thuraya Gadi, said that applying the general curriculum for first year elementary is a good step but it needs to be tailored to the students’ abilities.
“It’s not fair to pressure the students because each one has her abilities and right now the curriculum is condensed,” she said.
As for society, she feels that there should be more awareness of the disabled children’s needs and rights in order to accommodate them and integrate them effectively.
The director of the southern branch of Al-Amal Institute for girls intermediate and high school level, Jawaher Bamahfooz, pointed to the students’ desire to overcome the barrier of their disability but their biggest problem is the free time after graduation. Even though the institute tries to organize programs and events for them, the majority remains walled in with no employment or socializing opportunities.
On the other hand, there is also the role of the family and society in integrating the disabled children.
“It’s very important that the parents realize the impact and the role they play in their disabled child’s life and work at accepting and supporting their child,” said Balkhoyor.
The private sector can have a very positive role as well. “The private sector can provide activity centers and job opportunities that are appropriate to their abilities and skills,” suggested Balkhoyor.
She mentioned as an example the project by Sultana Alireza of a traditional embroidery shop hiring hearing-impaired girls. The special education unit at the Education Administration is trying to coordinate with various sectors in finding employment for these graduates with disabilities. Some of them have been employed part-time at the Administration itself in computer data entry and are doing well. Unfortunately, there is little interest by the private sector in taking up this social and moral responsibility.
“We see some handicapped men working in restaurants or malls or in some companies, but for women, there are some social and religious considerations that have to be taken into account which hinders their employment,” Balkhoyor told Arab News.
