Campaign highlights the plight of the physically challengedBy Zeiad M. Alsufiani MAKKAH — Fully-abled people, with their complete limbs and total mobility, may sympathize with the physically challenged but they can never know firsthand how it is to live in the latter's shoes. A campaign has been recently rolled out here to raise awareness of the plight of the disabled in the Kingdom. The Try the Wheelchair campaign, with the slogan “Have You Tried Their Sufferance?”, elicits compassion for people with special needs and disabilities. The event was organized by the Division of Technology Management at Makkah College of Technology on behalf of the Disabled Children's Association (DCA) in Makkah. College Dean Hasan Bokhary was present at the launch of the campaign, which is considered one of the most prominent programs and awareness activities organized by the college. The DCA was established to provide comprehensive care through a range of free therapeutic and rehabilitation services for disabled children up to the age of 12 who have multiple physical and mental disabilities, according to their official website. It also aims to educate Saudi society on the causes of disability and the means of prevention, promoting more positive attitudes toward the disabled. The DCA supports Saudi children who live in towns and areas where DCA centers are located, particularly Riyadh, Makkah, Madina, Jeddah, Al-Jouf, Hail and Asir. It also supports scientific research necessary to create effective programs. Bokhary said the campaign's goal was to bring to light the issue of disability in general and to highlight the DCA's host of activities, contributions and services that extend throughout the Kingdom. Department Head Salim Abdullah Zeater said trainers and trainees have been exposed to the difficulties faced by the disabled in their daily lives. The college needs to communicate and coordinate with the community to implement various programs as part of its commitment to social and community service, he said. “Despite medical statistics compiled by the Ministry of Health for its annual reports, there are no regular and reliable reports on disabilities including numbers, types of disabilities, amputee population, or geographical distribution,” according to a 2002 paper titled “Country Profile on Disability: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia” by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, Planning and Evaluation Department. However, there are a number of foundations that are active in developing infrastructure for persons with disabilities, the paper also said. It cited the Ministry of Education, which operates the Noor Institute for the Blind, the Amal Institute for the Deaf and the Institute for the Intellectually Disabled. The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs operates Career Rehabilitation Centers in Riyadh, Taif and Dammam; Social Rehabilitation Centers for the Severely Disabled in Riyadh, Al-Ahsa and Madina; Comprehensive Rehabilitation Centers in five regions; the Institute for Paraplegic Children in Riyadh and Taif; and Social Welfare Centers for the elderly in seven major cities, according to the study. __
