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Dubai /Â WAM
The Ministry of Community Development launched a contest to design the best innovative educational tools and applications for people with disabilities as part of the ministry’s programme for UAE Innovation Week 2016.
The contest was announced at a ceremony at the Ministry’s Dubai office which was attended by Sana Mohammed Suhail, Under-Secretary of the Ministry, along with a number of representatives from government entities.
The competition adopts a set of 18 criteria, including a need for the submission to be creative, out of the ordinary, and with clear and defined objectives, the tool or application must be safe and easy to use and must contain concise information that can hold the users’ interest.
It must be adaptable to the different needs of each user, save the teacher a lot of time, allow the user to utilise all of his or her senses and be mobile, adjustable, and upgradable, it must be durable and must be able to remain relevant for years. Additionally, parts and add-ons for the tool or application must be available locally, and it must be eco-friendly, entertaining and educational at the same time.
Hussein Saeed Al Sheikh, Assistant Under-Secretary for the Social Care Sector, explained that the Ministry’s initiative targets all those who work with the disabled in government-owned or private-sector special education centres across the UAE. The Ministry will receive applications until the end of October, then, during UAE Innovation Week 2016, it will showcase the most innovative of entries.
Commenting on UAE Innovation Week, Sana Mohammed said that the event, a platform launched by Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is of the utmost importance in cultural, social, and economic circles, among others. “This important event strives to build strong foundations for innovation and talent, which the UAE adopts to achieve progress in all sectors,” she explained, adding, “UAE Innovation Week also supports the objectives of the UAE Vision 2021 to make the Emirates one of the best countries in the world by the nation’s 50th anniversary.”