On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Damascus University Takes Pioneering and Ongoing Steps to Empower Students with Disabilities and Provide them with Appropriate Educational Services

 Within the framework of its societal role and in accordance with government directives to care for students with disabilities, Damascus University pays attention and care through many distinguished educational services, student activities, events, seminars and research, with the aim of working to integrate these students into university life, and providing all the facilities and tools that help them complete their studies.

There are diverse departments at the university and they are concerned with disability issues in all fields, including the Department of Special Education at the Faculty of Education. This department is responsible for qualifying specialized cadres and preparing and qualifying male and female special education teachers to work with people with special needs.

The university cooperates with civil society organizations and entities in the field of disability, most notably the Syrian Organization for Persons with Disabilities, through cooperation agreements for the benefit of the departments of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the university.

Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences, Dr. Samer Mohsen, confirms that the faculty, with its various specializations, aims to prepare and qualify cadres that will work with the rehabilitation team in detecting and intervening in various disabilities.

The university includes a special center to provide educational services to blind students in the Faculty of Arts and Humanities, the “Information Center for the Blind,” which has been equipped with all the modern equipment and technology that help these students in their education.

The university is keen to involve students with special needs in its training programs in various faculties in order to integrate them into society, meet their requirements, and help them achieve a positive impact. In this context, the Student Empowerment and Leadership Center at the university focused on this issue as part of its role in promoting inclusiveness, equality, and achieving interaction and cooperation among students. The center recently launched a training course with the aim of empowering student trainers to transfer their knowledge and experience in several fields. 50% of the participants were students with disabilities.

On the research level, the university is concerned with conducting and implementing scientific and academic studies and research related to disability and special education issues and disseminating knowledge on important topics related to people with disabilities.

The world celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on December, 3 to support people with disabilities and empower them in a way that contributes to their integration into society and achieving a decent life for them.