It was part of Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Program to Promote the Youth in the Eastern Province. This club undertook the responsibility of training blind women how to use computers and other gadgets that would qualify them for such jobs as data entry, online marketing and outsourcing.
Today the club has 77 blind women trainees, of whom 42 are learning IT skills. Only five of these blind women were employed prior to joining the club.
This is all nice, promising and encouraging but the problem is that after completing their training, these women will not find jobs that suit their condition. This was confirmed by Muna Al-Tuaimi, director of the women’s section at Prince Muhammad bin Fahd Program to Promote the Youth.
“We have a placement cell … but the rate of employment is zero percent. There is no cooperation from the private sector. We request that pressure be put on the private sector to employ blind women in suitable jobs. Moreover, penalties should be imposed on any establishment that refuses to employ women with special needs. It is not enough to give incentives,” she said.
Al-Tuaimi criticized the irresponsiveness of the private sector to calls for employing disabled women. She called for copying what has been experimented in Egypt and Jordan in this regard.
A trainee said she worked as a schoolteacher but was sacked from her job a few years ago when she lost her eyesight in an accident. She said she could have been given an administration job instead. “I had twin tragedies: I lost both my eyesight and my job,” she said.
She explained that she came to the club to join a course and is desperate to find a job. “If able-bodied women cannot find jobs, how can the blind?” she said.
While I salute the Vision Club, I’m unhappy with the private sector for its lack of cooperation. I do not only support putting pressure on the private sector to employ disabled women but also call for sanctions if it refuses to comply.
A million greetings to the 77 women trainees who are learning computer skills and Braille. Every one of them may have a tragic story to tell. For each one of them, getting a job is a life dream. Can we give them this?
