The Saudi Authority for People with Disabilities arranged a workshop for local government sectors in Riyadh in a bid to help improve communications between their services and those with hearing impairments. Entitled “Fundamentals of Communication in Sign Language,” this specific workshop teaches the fundamentals of sign language and how to communicate those who are deaf – it also aims to raise awareness about how to deal with the deaf in a cohesive and proper manner.
The workshop was attended by government bodies including, the National Center for Events, the General Entertainment Authority, the National Center for Measuring the Performance of Public Agencies, the General Authority for Visual and Audiovisual Media, among many others. Those in attendance got the opportunity to partake in first hand experience with communicating with people with hearing impairments and the deaf successfully.
Moreover, the program also raises awareness within these government authorities about the rights of people with such disabilities and how to deliver their services in an inclusive and non-discriminatory manner. The Saudi Authority for People with Disabilities is active in setting up awareness workshops that educate their employees on interacting with people with disabilities in order to achieve an inclusive society that encourages integration and falls in line with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Saudi Vision 2030 objectives.
Sulaiman Alrumaikhan, a social communication manager at the Saudi Authority for People with Disabilities.
Social communication manager at the authority, Sulaiman Alrumaikhan, told a local news outlet, “The workshop … is a clear step toward ensuring the integration of people with disabilities into society.” He also added that the workshops have been successful in educating people in dealing with people with disabilities, and that sign language may be beneficial in a number of government sectors by having the authority lead training programs in it.
