“I am qualified in computer programming. But the company that employs me does not assign me any work. I just sit there without doing anything for the whole day before going home, even though the company pays me a monthly salary of SR2,200,” said a young woman, speaking at a function organized to mark the occasion at the King Fahd Hospital in Jeddah on Monday.

Some companies only employ the disabled just to reap the special financial benefits offered by the government, she claimed.

Ways to empower women with hearing impairments in line with the United Nations charter for the disabled was one of the major topics discussed on the day.

The charter recommends ways to overcome the difficulties faced by people with disabilities in general.

Bandar Al-Amri, an expert on sign language who teaches staff from Saudi Arabian Airlines, said not all businesses ignore the potential of those with hearing impairments.

“Some companies care for the disabled so much that they made it obligatory for all its workers to communicate with people with hearing impairments using sign language.”

Bandar said he used to translate poems recited on television so people with hearing impairments could enjoy them.

According to government statistics there are over 250,000 people with hearing impairments in the Kingdom. The ongoing census will aim to update these figures.