Not being able to see didn’t stop Dr Ahmad Al Omran from pursuing a career in the field he loved.
As a child, while he studied at school, he always felt like he wasn’t learning as much as he could. Not satisfied with the level of education her son was receiving, Dr Al Omran’s mother took him to a scholar who helped him memorise the Quran at an early age.
“The education he gave me was really effective and helpful. While I felt like I was not learning enough in the regular setting, the shaikh helped me not just learn the Quran but also understand Arabic grammar and rules of recitation. These things added value in what I studied at school and they have had their impact on me ever since.” Chasing his dreams without second-guessing himself started early on in Dr Al Omran’s life. He moved to Saudi Arabia from grade six until he received a degree in judicial studies. But when he returned to the UAE in 2003, he realised that finding a job wasn’t easy.
“Attitudinal barriers still existed at that time. They didn’t think that a blind person could be active,” Dr Al Omran said.
After not finding a job in either legal work or academics, he decided to increase his qualifications and went to the UK for his doctorate. This is when things began to take a turn for the better.
“When you carry a PhD, it opens the door wide to get suitable employment opportunities,” he said.
Specialised in international human rights law, he first worked at the Ministry of Social Affairs where he spent four years building regulations and laws that would support people with disabilities.
“It was one of the best periods that I spent there as we developed disability and discrimination laws and all the policies that would be adopted at the national level. We managed to establish some sort of a system.”
Then in 2014, when Dubai Government was looking for someone specialised in justice and law, he joined the Executive Council of Dubai as a consultant for the Department of Policies and Strategies for Sustainable Development.
This puts him in a field that he always wanted to work in - implementing national policies for people with determination.
