On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities ... governmental and civil efforts to reintegrate them into society

Damascus-Sana

The International Day of Persons with Disabilities, which was approved by the United Nations since 1992, is a reminder of the importance of promoting the rights of this group of society in various fields and looking forward to real participation for them as productive and active people in society after their rehabilitation and capacity building.

Syria, which was one of the first countries to sign the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2007, preceded this convention with several measures, including the promulgation of the Persons with Disabilities Law in 2004, followed by the establishment of the Central Council for Persons with Disabilities Affairs in 2009 concerned with drawing up support and empowerment policies for this group and developing plans and programs with All concerned authorities, as all this constituted a quantum leap to ensure the inclusion of this category and its economic, social and educational empowerment.

Over the years, the Central Council of Persons with Disabilities has achieved a number of achievements, most notably the development of the national classification, the amendment of the national plan, and the establishment of the National Disability Registry in cooperation with the Ministry of Health in order to facilitate the development of databases related to them from birth, in addition to providing financial support to persons with disabilities who are university students.

In turn, NGOs in Syria translated interest in this category by establishing various development projects and programs for them, including the Café Society project, which was launched by the Roots Association for Development since 2018, and through it, it succeeded in training a number of people with Down syndrome on hospitality and reception work, securing job opportunities for a number of them, and reintegrating them into society. Soon, it is preparing to open a private café for the project's beneficiaries to work in to ensure its sustainability, according to Chairman Kholoud Rajab.

Rajab indicated that the association provides all care services for persons with disabilities who are afflicted with Down syndrome, and the number of beneficiaries to date has reached 150 people, in addition to caring for residents of the Special Education Center for those with mental disabilities in Damascus affiliated with the Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor.

In the same context, the work of the Suluk Association focuses on caring for a number of people with various disabilities, including autism, Down syndrome, speech problems, mild and moderate mental retardation from the age of two years to 25 years, and the number of beneficiaries reached 80 people within a qualified center with all appropriate services, according to the chairman of the board of directors, Walaa Al Hassan Indicating that the psychological support and skills learning aspect enjoys a large part of the association’s work through development projects, including the recycling project, designing models and paintings, which were launched this year and participating with the beneficiaries ’products in exhibitions and bazaars in order to introduce their skills and market them.

Al-Hassan indicated that a number of the association’s activities aim to secure an appropriate environment for people with disabilities in public facilities, as the installation of the first swing in a public park suitable for children with disabilities has been completed, in addition to organizing fashion shows for this category.

Inas Svan and Rama Rashidi