The Department of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at Zayed University (ZU) celebrated the annual ‘International White Cane Day’ by hosting a virtual event that addressed and discussed Employability of people with vision impairment.
This year’s even ttitled ‘Between the Present and the Desired Future’ focused on provoking discussions around employability and provided a platform to share journeys, insights and experiences from disability experts and ZU’s visually impaired alumni.
Fatma Al Qassimi, SAS Director, said: “With the UAE approaching fifty years of union and prosperity, it is more critical than ever to address and discuss employability of People of Determination and in specific people with vision impairment. Ever since the establishment of SAS department back in 2010, we have been committed to celebrating the White Cane Day annually to spread awareness among ZU community members on the priorities, concerns and challenges of the visually impaired.”
Since the start of this practise in Zayed University, SAS has been keen to introduce themes that are empowering, inspirational, and relevant to people living with vision impairment.
The virtual event hosted distinguished speakers and panellists who discussed, important topics related to; UAE’s legislations on Employment and the rights of People of Determination. The speakers also discussed the strengths and areas for improvement to advance the employability agenda for people with vision impairment. The panelists also addressed different aspects related to current trends on employment of people with vision impairment, challenges, opportunities, and recommendations for the future. Participants also got the opportunity to experience ways to use essential accessibility features such as the “Screen Reader” feature which aids people with visual impairment to convert text into speech and much more.
