Online platform seeks inclusion of differently-abled

Jamil Khan, Senior Reporter

A new online platform for people of determination is fully ready to launch soon which enables supporters of inclusion in local communities to connect, collaborate with each other and empower the movement of inclusion of People of Determination into the community.

The first-of-its-kind in the country, the Inclusive is a collaborative, fun, platform of communication between individuals, special centres, policy-makers, government bodies, institutions and enterprises that uphold inclusion of People with Different Abilities as a top priority.

Inclusive has been accepted among the first cohort of Ma’an Social Incubator as one of ten startups. The first cohort of Ma’an Abu Dhabi Social Incubation found solutions for People of Determination to accelerate social innovation and build the community in Abu Dhabi. Winning as the top 10 social enterprises out of over 500 applications received from across the world has given Inclusive the credibility and resources required to positively impact the lives of People of Determination, their families and all supporters of inclusion in the UAE.

The initiative was founded by Hafsa Qadeer, who created Inclusive driven by the lack of credible information and accessible activities for her sibling, Ahmed Qadeer, a person of determination who was diagnosed with spinal bifida at birth.  

“Growing up, I realised it’s not people who are disabled, but the approach of a community towards a Person of Determination can be disabled and unequal. It’s important to realise inclusion is a generalised behaviour within communities. Through our three pillars: community, awareness and opportunity and under our initiative #IAmInclusive, we encourage everyone in the community to collaborate with us and make their programmes more inclusive, We are here as catalysts to facilitate this transition to more inclusive communities,” explained Qadeer.

“Through our social media platform, we can integrate inclusion in daily lifestyles, and we are grateful for the positive response our initiatives receive from residents and nationals of the UAE,” added Qadeer.

“Under the UAE National Policy for Empowering People with Different Abilities, the term ‘People of Determination’ is used to recognise people with different physical, cognitive, invisible and other various abilities. At Inclusive, we believe this is a great initiative from the UAE government to create a positive conversation about inclusion,” said Qadeer.

So far, Inclusive has organised three nationwide campaigns, including the first-ever online recipe contest in the UAE for teams of determination, in collaboration with Abu Dhabi Culinary Season.