DCD reviews the achievements of the Abu Dhabi Strategy for POD for the past three years

The DCD also highlighted the achievements within the basic pillars of the strategy, which includ  enablers employment, education, health and rehabilitation, social care, and universal access.

His Excellency Dr. Mugheer Khamis Al Khaili, Chairman of the DCD, expressed appreciation for the accomplishments attributed to the collaborative efforts of entities responsible for each pillar, across governmental, private, and third sectors. These collective endeavors have significantly contributed to achieving the main objective of the strategy to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for people of determination within society. He also acknowledged the steadfast support and continual guidance from the wise leadership, who have always emphasised the provision of a decent quality of life for all members of society.

Furthermore, he praised the commitment to integrating various groups, thereby enhancing the roles of individuals in the comprehensive and sustainable development witnessed by Abu Dhabi across many fields.

His Excellency explained: "Since its launch in 2020 by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE and Ruler of Abu Dhabi, the strategy has  strenghtened Abu Dhabi's leading position in empowering people of determination, as they are a fundamental pillar of society. The emirate is keen to provide a nurturing and inclusive environment, ensuring equitable access for people of determination, while continuing to implement the strategy to unlock the full potential of this community, enabling them to become not only productive members but also active contributors to the community development process."

His Excellency added: “We look forward to securing even more achievements that serve people of determination and their families, ensuring optimal implementation of the strategy until next year 2024, with the active participation of all parties in order to provide services effectively.”

For her part, H.E Dr. Layla Abdulaziz Al Hyas, Executive Director of the Community Development Sector at DCD, commended the dedication of the teams executing strategic initiatives that reflect the extent of communication and integration they have shown in order to reach the primary goal, which is to empower people of determination and facilitate their seamless integration into society. She emphasised that with ongoing collective efforts of everyone involved, and the clarity of plans and tangible outcomes, will undoubtedly have a positive impact on the lives of people of determination and their families.

Al Hyas confirmed that the strategy and its slogan 'We and You Are One' have been proactively adopted by various stakeholders and concerned partners in their journey to activating initiatives. Over the past three years, the strategy has translated into numerous achievements, with initiatives being turned into tangible realities, and comprehensive plans being formulated to empower people of determination and seamlessly integrate them into society.

Enablers Pillar

Within the framework of the Enablers Pillar led by the DCD, a draft policy aimed at protecting people of determination from violence, neglect, exploitation and discrimination has been completed. Additionally, a guide for protecting people of determination in Abu Dhabi has been completed, which will be launched with the policy. The DCD conducted three consultation workshops and coordination meetings involving approximately 70 representatives from 40 entities spanning governmental, private, third sectors. These sessions analysed the challenges of people of determination in accessing protection and worked to develop the necessary and impactful solutions. Five discussion sessions were also held with people of determination and their families and were attended by approximately 80 participants. Additionally, 13 initiatives were identified to address gaps in the field of protection for people of determination.

Reinforcing their commitment to this cause, the DCD also designed an operational model and pilot stages to implement three services that support independent living for people of determination. These services encompass a home personal care service, a daycare service for adults of determination, and supported  residential living  service

Furthermore, the DCD completed the design of an inclusion excellence award  scheme , to incentivize the public, private and third sectors  to enhance inclusive practices and implement innovative initiatives and solutions that support the  inclusion and empowerment of people of determination  as

Employment Pillar

Within the Employment Pillar, led by the Government Empowerment Department, the achievements over the past three years include the completion of the preparation for the inclusive employment policy for people of determination in Abu Dhabi, and the development of 15 initiatives within the policy to contribute to achieving inclusive employment for people of determination within the labour market. The second phase of the inclusive employment programme was also completed, which is an awareness programme for Abu Dhabi government employees that supports their fellow people of determination titled ‘Colleagues of Determination’.

The training programme on the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health was also implemented for the technical team across the various axes of the strategy. Furthermore, the employment registry for people of determination in the Abu Dhabi government was created, which includes detailed demographic information, employment status, qualifications, academic specialisations, and career development plans for 208 job seekers, 115 trainees in craft workshops, and 193 employees in government agencies in the emirate.

Education Pillar

The Education Pillar, led by the Department of Education and Knowledge, included specific initiatives to improve access to inclusive education for students with disabilities within the framework of comprehensive education. The inclusion policy was launched to Abu Dhabi schools, and four training courses were held to raise awareness for people with autism in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority. The Zayed Higher Organization and the Mohammed bin Rashid Center for Special Education provided targeted courses for parents of children on the waiting list of the Department of Education and Knowledge, with 123 parents attending the courses.

Health and Rehabilitation Pillar

Within the framework of the Health and Rehabilitation Pillar led by the Department of Health - Abu Dhabi and the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority, the Department of Health developed a unified, comprehensive and integrated assessment framework for people of determination and completed the linking of the ICD-10 with the disability classification guide. Furthermore, they completed the health level assessment for the emirate at a policy level, advocating for the inclusion of people of determination in numerous committees and professional positions within the health sector and healthcare facilities. This encompasses assessing the accessibility of facilities and the dissemination of information regarding their services. This was done in order to provide the necessary improvements and create an inclusive environment for people of determination.

The Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority completed the integrated system for early intervention. In October 2022, the Abu Dhabi Early Intervention Guide was published for parents of children of determination in the age group from 0 to 8 years. Parents reported that after using the guide, their awareness of treatments and treatment methods increased by 21%, and their confidence in managing treatments, treatment methods and related services increased by 20%.

The guide was also printed and 10,000 copies English and Arabic were distributed throughout Abu Dhabi. In addition, in December 2022, capacity building work was undertaken for 83 paediatricians, including 12 Emirati doctors.

As for the pilot programme of the National Immunization Schedule, more than 1,101 parents were registered. They reported a 10% increase in awareness of typical signs of symptoms, with an 8% increase in confidence while participating in activities that promote child development. In addition to this, during the second quarter of this year, approval was obtained to implement the pilot phase for monitoring and examining child development in three clinics and hospitals in Al Dhafra, through development monitoring and comprehensive standard examination of children for more than 3,000 children between 0 and 36 months in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra, in partnership with the Department of Health, Mubadala Health, and Hospital. Kind.

Social Care Pillar

In the social care pillar, which is led by the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, many achievements were attained over the past three years. This includes the Family and Caregiver Support System Initiative, which was done through the completion of a study of the current situation and standard comparisons by conducting 50 interviews with stakeholders and organising seven discussion groups. Furthermore, a total of 200 respondents engaged with the survey, and the targeted operational model was designed to support families and caregivers. This involved the participation of 10 parties involved in organizing discussion workshops and 11 targeted operational programs. Additionally, the development and implementation of support programs for parents, siblings, and caregivers were finalized, with 120 participants enrolling in the targeted training programs. As for caregivers, 500 stakeholders registered and actively took part in training programs tailored for those supporting people of determination.

This year, the hub also obtained achievements by launching and implementing the pilot training programme for workers, which targeted approximately 10 participants, in addition to the community awareness initiative based on the legal perspective of disability. The first video of the community awareness campaign, which covers the topic of livelihood, was launched and circulated through various channels. Moreover, a training programme on capacity building was implemented, targeting associations and centres for people of determination in order to enable them to improve the quality of the programmes provided to them and their families.

Universal Access Pillar

The Universal Access Pillar witnessed many achievements, led by the Department of Municipalities and Transport, and in partnership with other entities, namely the Department of Culture and Tourism - Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, Department of Government Empowerment, Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Abu Dhabi Airports and Abu Dhabi Ports Group.

In regard to the Department of Municipalities and Transport, 13 inclusive parks were completed in Abu Dhabi as part of initiatives to raise the efficiency of regions in the emirate. The parks are part of 119 planned to be completed before the first quarter of 2024.

There was also cooperation between the Abu Dhabi Early Childhood Authority and the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination to provide inclusive equipment that supports children from people of determination in three swimming pools in addition to two beaches, the Corniche and Al Bateen.

It also approved the  accessibility enhancement of five beaches in Abu Dhabi to  include  people of determination. This will involve the installation of pathways linking the beach and the sea, along with the incorporation of other supporting equipment. This collaborative effort will be undertaken in partnership with the Integrated Transport Center and the Authority of Social Contribution - Ma'an.

As for the achievements of the Abu Dhabi Housing Authority, a  focus group session was recently held with people of determination and their families to ensure that their needs are identified and their opinions about housing services are taken into account. Approximately 52 citizens benefited from a ready-made housing grant, and the number of beneficiaries of a residential land grant reached approximately 388 citizens. The total number of exemption requests for people of determination reached 1,298 cases, with the category of retirees forming the highest category of exemption requests, reaching 845.

At the Department of Culture and Tourism level, the Abu Dhabi platform and application programme (www.visitabudhabi.ae) were evaluated to include tools that serve people of determination Additionally, a comprehensive training chapter was added for all frontline employees in the tourism and hospitality sector.

which includes how to deal with people of determination.

For stakeholders, office programmes and events for people of determination have been activated, policies related to tourism activities have been developed, and a model for the level of improvement of tourism and cultural facilities in Abu Dhabi has been developed.

As for the achievements of Abu Dhabi Airports Company, the necessary arrangements have been made to ensure the experience of conducting an inclusive air travel flight through modifications of the roads and internal lanes in the new airport building, equipping qualified sensory rooms, and implementing special alarm devices for people of determination in the toilets of the new airport building .Furthermore, efforts are directed towards training and recruiting skilled professionals adept in sign language to effectively communicate with people of determination, while also considering their psychological requirements. A mandatory introductory material for new airport employees on how to deal with people of determination was also added, and special courses for people of determination were approved for front-line employees and strategic partners. Work has also been done to provide special, accredited courses to front-line airport employees and strategic partners about people of determination.

In order to provide comprehensive access to inclusive sports programmes, the Abu Dhabi Sports Council was keen to accomplish many tasks, the most prominent of which was implementing a workshop on ‘Modified Physical Activities for People of Determination’, in cooperation with the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, in the presence of 60 participants .Additionally, 25 members from the Abu Dhabi Club for People of Determination took part in World Running Day, and a significant participation of 110 people of determination occurred in the Abu Dhabi Government Games Championship. The number of participants in local events during the last period of this year reached approximately 149 people of determination, while the number of participants in the community schools management project reached 1,130 people of determination.