UAE, Japan team up to empower ‘people of determination’

DUBAI / Emirates Business

A ten-member delegation headed by HE Abdulla Al Humaidan, Secretary-General of Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination (ZHO) visited Japan to receive insights on how to create a more inclusive society for people faced with challenges.
The eight-day visit was organised by the Japan International Cooperation Center (JICE), and provided opportunities for the ZHO delegation to meet key Japanese researchers, service providers, experts and policy makers who promote and are tasked with devising and implementing programmes for an inclusive society in Japan.
The delegation held meetings, seminars and workshops with a number of organisations including: the Japan Federation of the Blind, the National Committee of Welfare for the Blind, the Tokyo Helen Keller Association, the Foundation for Promoting Personal Mobility and Ecological Transportation, the National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, the National Vocational Rehabilitation Center for Persons with Disabilities, the Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology at the University of Tokyo etc.
The delegation first received a presentation on the latest Basic Act for Persons with Disabilities at the Cabinet Office.
A lecture at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology (RCAST) provided delegates with insights into the challenges faced by deaf and blind people, along with the support and solutions offered in Japan that allow people of determination to further themselves in advanced education.
As part of the mission delegates were also able to witness how braille blocks for guiding the visually impaired, were installed in the surrounding areas of Tokyo Station.
Hisham Al Wahedi, Braille checker at ZHO said: “I felt I could go anywhere by myself in Japan with the facilities that are provided to support the visually impaired.”
HE Abdulla Al Humaidan, Secretary-General of Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination commented; “The whole mission was an invaluable experience to see how Japan promotes an inclusive society. The programme coordinated for us by JICE introduced us to excellent case studies, and gave us many insights that will aid us in creating an increasingly inclusive society in the UAE.”