Kalimat illuminates the path of learning for visually-impaired

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The Ara initiative, a cornerstone of the Kalimat Foundation, marked World Braille Day with an extraordinary workshop, beautifully illustrating their commitment to making learning and knowledge accessible to everyone.

This special event, developed in collaboration with the ‘Emirates Association of the Visually Impaired’ and the innovative 'La Vie Dolls' project creator, Noura Bin Hadda, focused on nourishing the lives of visually impaired and blind children.

Organised at the Emirates Association of the Visually Impaired, the workshop served as a hub for eager young learners and adolescents. It was thoughtfully divided into two engaging sections. The first featured the mesmerising storytelling talents of Dr. Lamya Tawfik, a storyteller and kids life coach, who brought the novel 'My Doll’s Eyes' by Obada Takla to life.

Her rendition of the story, weaving themes of cooperation and innovation, held the young audience spellbound. The second part of the workshop, overseen by NouraBin Hadda and Kalimat Foundation’s team, became a realm of creativity.

Here, children explored the joys of doll-making, designing clothes, and adorning dollhouses, all designed to spark their imagination and enhance their creative abilities.

Kalimat Foundation became the UAE’s first non-profit to secure exceptional publishing rights under the Marrakesh Treaty. The licence enables the foundation to reproduce, distribute, and make copies of published works available in accessible formats for the blind, visually impaired, and otherwise print-disabled within the country or internationally without infringing copyright.

Through its extensive outreach, the Ara initiative has touched the lives of visually impaired and blind children in 11 countries through partnerships in 46 locations.