The reason?
Varghese moves around in a wheel chair because of a road accident he met with five years ago, which left him paralysed from the waist down.
His confidence was not misplaced. He secured work at a leading bank in the UAE on just his second job interview.
Speaking to Gulf News about the experience, he said: “Most people in a wheelchair are independent, they can do things themselves, they move around. What we can’t control are the inner feelings of how society looks at people in a wheelchair.”
However, he felt that the UAE’s efforts to create a more inclusive society are beginning to show results in the workforce as well.
“I think that the UAE government already has a lot of policies but not a lot of people are aware of it. Especially because this year is the Year of Zayed, I have seen a lot of people [of determination] getting employed in banks and various other sectors,” Varghese said.
But even before the Year of Zayed was announced, Dubai introduced its target to make the city disabled-friendly city by 2020.
“Different government entities have done the necessary research on the employment gap and have come up with different programmes to ensure it is bridged and are currently working on the implementation of these plans,” she added.
An evolving workforce
This pursuit of creating an inclusive society is not just limited to people with physical challenges.
Ali Al Ameri, an 18-year-old Iraqi with Down Syndrome, is currently receiving work training at UAE-based chain of restaurants, Papa Roti.
His father, Arkan Al Ameri, spoke about how the right attitude in society and from employers can help people of determination be a part of the workforce.
“I think people of determination can work at so many places. Employers need to look at their abilities and skills and train them for work accordingly.”
However, he did feel that despite all the initiatives by the government, more could be done to integrate people of determination in the workforce.
“There are cafes and restaurants across the world that are completely staffed with people of determination. May be, one day, we will have that in the UAE. We still need society to understand them, support them and be patient with them when they interact with them. This is very important.”
“People of determination are a part of society and they should not feel ignored. When I saw Ali, I could tell that he is very intelligent and willing to learn. He will do a job once you explain it to him clearly. People of determination add value to a workplace,” she said.
Her positive experience with Ali and requests from other families has encouraged Rasha to lay out a plan to hire more people of determination in the near future. She also plans to introduce training and workshops for existing employees to educate them on how to work with people of determination.
“The only challenge is in the first few days because, from my experience, when people see a person of determination, they don’t approach them to place an order, for example. So, whenever I am passing by, I always take Ali with me and encourage people to place their orders,” she added.
Because many children of determination might not be going to regular schools, internships and work trainings can help them build a CV when they finally graduate and apply for jobs.
For Filipina Elcy Buenavidas, this was the motivation behind looking for a work placement for her son, Euan Andre B. Soriano, who has autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
“His computer teacher saw Euan’s potential with computers and he has been doing an internship with Grant Thornton since February 2017,” Elcy told Gulf News.
While she agreed that adjusting to a person of determination can be a new experience for office-goers, she also felt that it is not too difficult if the right education and awareness is provided.
“If other people can find the potential and invest a little bit of time to nurture the skill that they already have, they can develop into something,” she added.
Cameron Clark, People and Culture manager at Grant Thornton, an audit and advisory firm agreed.
“Employers must respect the value of diversity, which supports the wider society, business and its people. In terms of practical considerations, the business must ensure its people are aware of any limitations or special requirements, which their colleagues will require, along with creating a culture of support, mutual respect and unity for each other,” he told Gulf News.
The challenges
Parents of children of determination that Gulf News spoke with highlighted some of the other challenges they face in this pursuit, because of individual situations or certain social attitudes.
Sumaira Burhan, a single mother, whose 11-year-old son Shayan Mirza has Down Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), worries her child will not be able to receive education and formal training after the age of 18.
Shayan joined school later than his peers, therefore Sumaira believes he has missed on vital training years.
“The school years he has missed, need to be made up for after the age of 18. I wish that in the coming years, I see more academic support for people who require assistance over the age of 18. He needs the right vocational training and therapy in order to be independent, get his own [UAE] visa one day and stay here.”
Dubai’s Knowledge and Human Development Authority’s [KHDA] Inclusive Education Policy Framework released last year as part of Dubai’s Disabilities Strategy addresses this concern.
It provides guidelines for higher education institutes to offer undergraduate level courses apart from encouraging institutions to develop programmes and strategies to enable post-school employment. The need is for it to be picked up on a wider scale by educational institutions.
Hayley Younes-Wild, a speech and language therapist at the Rashid Centre for the Disabled, spoke to Gulf News about the need for flexibility when it comes to addressing the unique challenges every child faces.
“Equality is very important. There are some of these individuals that will need a little bit of extra support. It is important to identify those needs to provide the best support possible and give them the best chance they have of being independent,” she said.
And this is necessary starting from a young age.
Christopher Cowie father of 11-year-old Caleb, who also has Down Syndrome, said: “What we do need is a lot of awareness in our community and in schools about children with special needs and how they can be accepted and integrated in society.”
His wife, Suzanne added: “Caleb is extremely friendly and full of life. He hugs and kisses everyone he meets. Some accept and some don’t.” She said that schools should include awareness in their training and education, as Caleb has been beaten up by children at the park, or had bad experiences with neighbours.
“I do not blame the children, as there was no awareness brought to them about Caleb’s condition,” Christopher concluded.
- With input by Sanya Nayeem, Deputy Social Media Editor
