Abu Dhabi: From kindergarten to high school, the Abu Dhabi Education Council (Adec) has provided pupils with special needs around 3,366 devices between 2010 and 2014.
The equipment is designed to cater to children with around 13 types of disabilities and those with multiple disorders receive additional assistance from experts in psychiatry, visual aid, speech and language.
In light of the ongoing seven-day Abu Dhabi International Book Fair (ADIBF), the Adec has officially provided students with special needs an opportunity to participate in its Abu Dhabi Reads campaign that is taking place at the fair and across the capital.
“We are attempting to provide those with physical and mental challenges equal opportunities to learn and grow. This is done using a variety of methods, including providing special educators and devices that help them cope with and overcome their disabilities,” said Hana Al Hamdani, an Academic Quality Improvement Officer and Team Leader for the Technical Committee for Special Needs Students Equipment at Adec.
In fact, during the 2010-2011 school year, the Adec distributed 889 devices while the following year it distributed 789 to students with special needs. In the 2012-2013 school year, pupils received 1,124 devices and the year after, they were given 589.
“It is not every year that we get a large influx of students and so the number of devices we give out can decrease or increase depending on how many pupils we are dealing with. However, not all special needs students with the same disability can work with the same device,” Hana said.
During that period, the largest percentage of devices went to pupils with learning disabilities (29 per cent), while those with visual issues received 20 per cent of the devices. Closely in third, 19 per cent of the equipment went to pupils with motor difficulties, followed by individuals with communication challenges, hearing disabilities and autistic students.
In fact, Hana revealed that most special needs students just require the support of their friends, family and education system in order to be integrated easily within society, except for those who are severely challenged.
The expert revealed that many pupils with visual problems are able, using the devices, to go on the internet and browse pages the same way that sighted people can.
Meanwhile, physically challenged students are equipped with portable computers that enable them, through head and eye movements, to use the computer without a mouse or keyboard.
