RIYADH, 4 October 2006 — Prince Sultan ibn Salman, chairman of the Prince Salman Center for Disability Research (PSCDR), yesterday signed a memorandum of understanding with Emad Fahad Aldoghaiter, president of Semanor, an e-learning and training company, for the development of programs for the disabled.
The programs develop the abilities of the disabled based on the results of scientific researches conducted by the PSCDR in connection with its mission and goal to make life for the disabled meaningful.
The signing ceremony, attended by PSCDR Executive Director Sultan Turki Al-Sudairy and Assistant Executive Director (Media Affairs) Waleed Al-Deaigy, was held at the PSCDR headquarters inside the Diplomatic Quarter.
Asked about the agreement, Prince Sultan, who is also secretary-general of the Supreme Commission for Tourism, said: “It’s the core of our business... transferring pure research into application. Research with application is not our business. Our business is science and to benefit people. We transfer research into ... where people can benefit, where we can deal with disability.”
One of the programs developed so far for PSCDR by Semanor and which was launched during the signing ceremony was the Holy Qur’an on CD-ROM that can be read by persons with disabilities.
With the program, a person who is completely paralyzed can command the program to go to the next page of the Holy Qur’an. This was shown to the press through Abdullah Banema, who has been completely paralyzed for the last 15 years due to an accident in a swimming pool.
“The software is given free to disabled people like Abdullah Banema,” Aldoghaiter said.
Asked how his company is able to finance the production of free software, he said: “Through God” with a smile, adding that his company is part of a business group with operations in different countries. “That we are involved with PSCDR in this undertaking is part of our social responsibility.”
