Visually impaired children can now go skating thanks to a new invention by a Saudi youth. “I have invented the belt-like device, which the visually impaired children can wear on their waists and when they approach an object in a defined radius, it beeps. They are hence able to escape contact,” said Mishaal Harsani, the young Saudi, who invented the device. “It is a useful device and with a little bit of coaching children will be quite comfortable with the device,” he said. Ziyad Farhan, a teenager in-charge of coaching special children, said the idea to train visually impaired children was presented by him and Harsani. “The principal of Madrasa Al-Namudjiya Sadisa Ibtidaiya Al-Raidah and Ice-Toon are supporting the idea,” he said. The two-week training schedule, divided into four stages, was prepared by Farhan. In the first stage, the children are informed about the rules of the sport and its requirements. In the second stage the children are taken into the ice rink in full gear. The children are then encouraged to skate independently, while in the fourth and the final stage their performance is evaluated. Ice-Toon, the amusement park in Serafi Mega Mall, Jeddah, presented awards and gifts to the special skaters on Monday. “Harsani and Farhan are doing a unique job helping special children skate. I will always support this cause,” said Captain Riaz, manager of Ice-Toon. Almost 35 children from the school have enlisted for the project and 15 have already learnt the skills. The young students hail from different countries. “I am rocking with joy and pride. Finally, I can skate like normal children,” said Ibrahim Ali, an 11-year-old Sudani child, who has been learning to skate with the help of the belt for a month. “I am an achiever and I am confident that I can achieve more in life,” said another Young Indian skater, Muhammad Abdul Qadeer. Ibrahim Al-Hudairi, another bold skater said nothing is impossible. “I am grateful to the kind people here who have supported me and my friends,” he said. Salah Al-Ghamdi, the PE teacher at the school, said there are three types of blindness and that children in all the three categories are encouraged to undergo training by Farhan. “They need to feel that they are also capable and our society does not distinguish between them and the normal children,” said Al
