KUWAIT: Minister of Social Affairs, Family, and Childhood Affairs Dr Amthal Al-Huwailah affirmed that the national initiative ‘Partners to Employ Them’ has contributed a lot (since its launch in 2018) in implementing Kuwait’s international and constitutional obligations in protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and working to enhance their capabilities. This came in a statement made by Minister Al-Huwailah to Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Monday after participating in the launch of the sixth batch of the national initiative ‘Partners to Employ Them 2024-2025’, with the participation of 123 members.
Minister Al-Huwailah said that Kuwait has been keen since joining the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2013 to support persons with disabilities and seeks to integrate them in various fields. She added that "we are celebrating this occasion with a patent that is the first of its kind locally,” which is a ‘dual smart glasses’ to assist people with hearing disabilities.
The device uses artificial intelligence to convert verbal speech into written text that allows them to integrate into the study and work environment and interact with society. For her part, the Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and Resident Coordinator to the State of Kuwait, Ghada Al-Taher, said in a similar statement that the initiative is a unique model in empowering people with disabilities.
Al-Taher stressed that the rehabilitation and training programs have opened the way for people with disabilities to join the development process in the country, praising the role of Kuwait in developing their skills and talents to achieve the vision of New Kuwait 2035. She explained that UNESCO and the International Labor Organization will work with the officials to provide consultations and make sure that the training is in line with the international standards, praising the pioneering experience of the initiative in rehabilitating and employing people with disabilities.
Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Human Construction Society for Social Development, Dr. Ghaleb Al-Osaimi, said in a similar statement to KUNA that the national initiative, through partnership with various governmental and private bodies, has overcome many challenges and worked to rehabilitate and develop people with disabilities. Al-Osaimi explained that 20 members of the current initiative were hosted by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences for field training in Kuwait University laboratories, while the Kuwait Finance House Bank hosted three members.
The Public Authority for Minors Affairs will provide training for 100 members to qualify them for employment in the public and private sectors. He explained that the jobs they will be trained for will be in the fields of customer service, information systems, laboratory technician assistant, and surveillance (security and cameras), in addition to office and secretarial work.
The Human Construction Society is holding two public employment fairs in partnership with the Public Authority for Manpower and private sector entities. The meeting will be held with the Civil Service Bureau to approve new career paths for people with mental disabilities and learning difficulties. He stated that the impact of this national initiative will be measured by the Office of the Representative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Resident Coordinator in the country, the International Labor Organization, and UNESCO to evaluate its role in improving the quality of services provided to persons with disabilities.
The patent for the ‘dual smart glasses’ came through the efforts of Engineer Mohammed Al-Shammari and Engineer Awatif Al-Salman and was funded by Dream Information Technology Company and supported by the Human Construction Society after identifying the needs of persons with hearing disabilities.
This initiative is organized by the Public Authority for Persons with Disabilities in strategic partnership with the Human Construction Society for Social Development and in cooperation with the Office of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the Public Authority for Manpower, the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences, the Kuwait Finance House, the Public Authority for Minors Affairs, and Kuwait University, in addition to the Kuwait Banking Association, the Union of Investment Companies, and the Union of Cooperative Societies. — KUNA