The Makkah Civil Defense held a two-day awareness campaign on issues of people with special needs under the aegis of Makkah Gov. Prince Mishaal bin Abdullah. The campaign was launched at Salaam Mall in Jeddah on Wednesday and Thursday with the aim to promote the community’s acceptance of people with disabilities and spread awareness of their issues.
The campaign titled “An awareness campaign for people with special needs and the safety rules” disseminated information about the safety rules for disabled people and to promote equal opportunities for them as well as teach parents to help children with special needs to integrate into mainstream society.
Several schools and centers for special needs such as the Help Center, Al Amal Institute, International Islamic Relief Organization, Saudi Arabia (IIROSA), Basmat Amal and several others participated in the campaign. Around 300 volunteers actively took part to educate the people on disability and bring the safety rules of the people with special needs to the attention of the wider community.
“One of the things we stress on is to get people to be more accepting and understanding of people with special needs,” said Basma Refai, a volunteer.
Ribhi Yahya Arafat, co-founder of Basmat Amal Group said, “The reason to participate in this campaign is to develop and spread awareness among the community on the needs of the disabled, as well as to teach the people with special needs along with their parents the rules of safety and security.”
The Basmat Amal booth displayed drawings created by the disabled children, which caught the attention of several visitors.
The participants presented the public with booklets on various subjects concerning disabilities and special needs and also discussed with the visitors to be more understanding of people with special needs. Meanwhile, a few parents of children with special needs shared their experiences of unsympathetic public attitudes and how their children’s needs and disabilities are commonly misunderstood.
“The campaign aims to educate the community about the safety and security rules of people with special needs and raise awareness of disability issues and to ensure the rights of people with special needs are understood and upheld. Such public outreach events help to spread awareness to a large number of people and help the society to accept them,” said the IIROSA representative.
“The right to live safely and securely is an important human right. I hope that the campaign has a positive impact and the disabled people are treated and given an equal chance in life,” he said.
Acceptance a must for the disabled
