Held on February 3, various decision-makers, specialists, and academics from the United Arab Emirates, the Kingdom of Sweden, Saudi Arabia, Canada, and the US, participated in the forum.
Sheikha Jameela believes in the rights of the Disabled, leading the SCHS to raise awareness of these rights and work to achieve them, which resulted in the establishment of the "Inclusive Education Unit" in 2017.
In cooperation with various international educational institutions, the City was able to integrate 568 students with disabilities into schools. It also worked on establishing a comprehensive educational system to promote children’s rights and create school environment suitable for the fusion, translating the wise directives of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah.
Sheikha Jameela Al Qasimi pointed out that there are many international treaties and local laws concerning the rights of persons with disabilities, foremost of which is the right to inclusive education, perhaps the most important of which is the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities adopted by the United Nations in 2006. Since then, the UAE has developed many national policies to empower and integrate persons with disabilities in all fields including education.
At the opening of the forum, the Minister of State for Public Education in the United Arab Emirates, Jameela Al Muhairi, gave a speech in which she confirmed that the forum is an exceptional experience for everyone who participated in it and that persons with disabilities enjoy governmental and social support to grant them all their rights without discrimination. The UAE has made significant strides in ensuring that the Disabled obtain these rights without discrimination.
She stressed the importance of the forum in providing the participants with an opportunity to exchange experiences and knowledge to reach the best practical solutions to face challenges and consolidate the concept of inclusive education at all educational levels.
After that, Sue Swensen, President of Inclusion International, gave a speech in which she spoke about the organisation and its role in supporting inclusive education. She also stressed the importance and necessity of inclusive education as a fundamental right for persons with disabilities, praising the City's role as an effective member of the organization.
After that, Sheikha Sheikha Al Qasimi, representative of Self Advocates at Inclusion International for Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Summit, gave a speech in which she defined inclusive education and the difference between it and other concepts, specifying its elements and its importance in the individual's sense of value and inclusion within his community and the exercise of independence in his life.
She also talked about the international legal foundations of the right to inclusive education, stressing the close relationship between sustainable development, inclusive education, and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, emphasising the importance of inclusive education at an early age.
The activities of the forum took off in four sessions with the participation of elite decision-makers, specialists, and academics from the UAE, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the Kingdom of Sweden, Canada, and the United States, where two notable ministers from the UAE participated alongside Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al Qasimi and Sheikha Sheikha Al Qasimi, Jameela Al Muhairi, Minister of State for Public Education, and Hessa Buhumaid, Minister of Community Development.
The sessions discussed numerous issues such as solutions to facilitate inclusive education, the journey to achieve quality inclusive education, families’ experiences with inclusive education, and reality adaptation.
At the end of the forum, the participants came up with several recommendations that contribute to enhancing inclusive education.
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