An educational workshop for people with special needs was organized at the National Museum of the King Abdulaziz Historical Center in Riyadh to mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities is observed every year on Dec. 3 as proclaimed by the United Nations to raise awareness on disabilities and coping mechanisms. It also seeks to increase the integration of people with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

The National Museum organized the workshop in collaboration with the Abaqera Center (Center for the Disabled Geniuses) on Wednesday.

Programs at the daylong workshop, held at the Al-Tawheed Hall of the National Museum, included an introductory presentation, theatrical performances, educational workshops and lectures on disability awareness. Such functions help translate the international commitment for a disability-inclusive society into concrete action and strengthen global efforts to ensure accessibility for and the inclusion of people with disabilities in all aspects of society and development.

Studies show that there are approximately 1.5 million people with disabilities in the Kingdom, which corresponds to 7 percent. This is considered a normal rate compared to international disability rates, which reach 15 percent.

The commemoration of this year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities provides an opportunity to further raise awareness on disability and accessibility as a cross-cutting development issue and further global efforts to promote accessibility, remove all types of barriers, realize the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society and shape the future of development irrespective of differences.








According to a UN report, over 1 billion people, or approximately 15 percent of the world’s population, live with some form of disability and face physical, social, economic and attitudinal barriers that exclude them from fully and effectively participating as equal members of society in many parts of the world.

The education workshop at the National Museum focused on the fact that there should be equal access to basic resources such as education, employment, health care, social and legal support systems.