By Yasser Abdullah
Egyptian Minister of Social Solidarity Nevine el-Qabbag and Deputy Minister of Communications and Information Technology for Institutional Development, Ghada Labib on Monday launched the 2nd ‘Initiators’ conference and exhibition, under the theme ‘Assistive Tools and Technologies for Persons with Disabilities (PwDs)’.
The two officials inspected the exhibition pavilions and were briefed on how technologies and solutions have been adapted to serve people with disabilities.
The minister said in her address to the event, held under the sponsorship of Prime Minister Moustafa Madbouli, that the government has made great efforts to improve the living standards and guarantee a decent life for current and future generations by safeguarding social, economic, civil and political rights for all segments of society.
“As we believe in the importance of social equality, our main objective as initiators is to pave the way for persons with special needs to turn their disabilities into abilities,” the minister said.
“This can be achieved by highlighting the important role that awareness plays in the society, beside utilising the new technological tools to provide accessibility and achieve social inclusion to allow them to live life to the fullest,” the minister added.
The objective of the Initiators Conference and Exhibition is to develop assistive tools and technologies for persons with disabilities to support their inclusion in society.
In accordance with Law 10/2018 – the Rights of Persons with Disabilities – the government wishes to work alongside civil societies to provide people with disabilities health, education and rehabilitation services, along with employment and transport, el-Qabbag said.
The minister also spoke of reaching people with disabilities in rural areas through community-based rehabilitation programmes.
The ministry has registered 117,000 people with physical disabilities through the presidential rural development initiative Decent Life.
