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The “Strengthening self-advocates and creating self-advocacy groups” session explored how grassroots movements across the world are creating opportunities for people with disabilities to build confidence, skills and groups that last. Hosted by Mark Mapemba, Project Manager and Past Vice President of Inclusion International’s regional representation, reminded participants that the Empower Us programme was designed by self-advocates, for self-advocates, and is now training people with intellectual disabilities to collectively raise their voices using accessible training on human rights and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD).
The first speaker of the session was Her Excellency Mona Abdelkareem Al Yafaei, Director-General of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS), who has spent more than three decades working with people with disabilities, particularly intellectual disabilities. SCHS has localised international experiences for Sharjah and created platforms for young people with disabilities to speak about themselves and their conditions, not only within the UAE but globally. It is transformative when officials hear directly from people with disabilities, she said. “When an official hears their needs and requests, it is more powerful than me presenting it.”
Picking up the story, Sheikha Chaica Al Qassimi, Coordinator of the Self Advocacy Unit at SCHS, spoke about the Self-Advocacy unit at SCHS and its expansion. She described how, within a few short years, the number of student and employee advocates has increased.
She explained that the unit runs confidence-building and awareness initiatives throughout the UAE, conducts anti-bullying sessions, and leads awareness campaigns in schools and workplaces. “We use the One Step Closer programme as a step-by-step training for the advocates,” she said, noting the initiative is designed to continue until 2030, with each stage building new skills.
From India, Leela Raj, an artist, model, UN speaker and ambassador for India’s Purple Fest, said, “I’m now aware of ‘My Voice, My Choice’, which I speak about on many platforms. All are equal and leave no one behind.” She has done modelling assignments that promoted awareness of sensory rooms in airports, and is acting in a documentary produced by the Down Syndrome Federation of India.
From Zambia, Ruth Chihana of the Friendly Barn Development Foundation said the change has been transformative since self-advocates were trained. “We are not spoken for anymore, we are leading,” she said. “Our parents now see us differently, they see us as capable; learning how to support us, not control us. Change is happening, not to people with disabilities, but because of them.”
And from Ghana, Samuel Delali of Inclusion Ghana shared how simple gatherings of music and sport became seeds for change: “Many were often at home, not involved in community activities because of stigmatisation and discrimination. Now, small meetings and safe spaces are opening doors for young people to participate and advocate.”
The theme of empowerment continued in the “A media revolution led by self-advocacy” session, where stories from Egypt and Japan showed how representation can transform entire industries.
Rahma Khaled Ahmed Hussein, Egypt’s celebrated TV presenter and Special Olympics gold medalist, spoke about her journey to becoming the country’s first presenter with Down Syndrome. “People should give us the chance and then decide if we can fit in or not,” she said. “I’m proud to inspire my community and show that dreams can be achieved.”
From Japan, Pansy Media, based in Higashiosaka, shared how their programmes place people with intellectual disabilities not just in front of the camera but at the heart of content creation. Executive Producer Michiyuki Ogawa described the approach: “The most important thing is that people with disabilities show who they are, in their own way, and we provide a stage for that to happen.”
Self-advocate Hiroshi Yamada, a regular contributor, expressed why appearing on television matters to him: “I want people to know we are not so different, and by appearing on TV, I can show my thoughts myself; not have someone else speak for me.”
The 2025 ‘We Are Inclusion’ World Congress in Sharjah gathered 600 participants from 74 countries across 59 sessions, marking its MENA debut as a global platform to advance the rights of persons with intellectual disabilities. The Congress is co-organised by Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services and Inclusion International, with the Sharjah Government Media Bureau as strategic partner.
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