A survey conducted by Emirates Today on its social networking platform, TUTER, revealed that 39% of people with disabilities find it difficult to reconcile working hours with the time required to care for their children. The biggest challenge in the group of obstacles facing them, which also includes the cost of treatment and integration in the educational system, and represented the cost of treatment high, the biggest challenge for 30% of them.

While 31% felt that the presence of a specialized center capable of treating their condition is one of the biggest challenges that hinder their efforts to care for them.

The survey was conducted following the Federal National Council's announcement this month of the results of the report of the Committee on Social Affairs, Labor, Population and Human Resources, which revealed a proposal to reduce the working hours of parents of children of concern, and grant them the right to work permits to accompany their children.

The survey showed that 46% of the participants spend on treatment of a child with an interest of between 70 and 120 thousand dirhams per year, while 34% receive financial assistance from charities to be able to treat their children.

In response to a question about the extent to which their children benefited from the programs of school education, 17% of the respondents said that the child was not accepted in any school, while 58% said that the child benefits from a limited degree of integration programs in regular education schools , Compared to 25% of the respondents that the child did not benefit from the programs of educational integration in schools.

The report of the «National» revealed the burden of care parents care to provide a «shadow teacher» for their children who are integrated in schools, and also showed a shortage in the number of government centers for the care, rehabilitation and training of owners of concern, the number of seven centers, and the insufficient amount of social security The value of social security for owners of the burden is 37 million and 418 thousand and 414 dirhams per month, benefiting 6852 beneficiaries.

Bader al-Oghani, the father of a 6-year-old boy who suffers from mental and cognitive dysfunction since birth, said that "the employers are not cooperating and the employee's assessment depends on the mood of the officials in those areas." He confirmed that his child's physical therapy or medical appointments with his doctors forced him to take periodic leave of his annual leave, because the dates of physical therapy in public hospitals are only in the morning and there are no dates in the evening, and he suffers from lack of time to reconcile work And caring for his son.

As for the cost of treatment, Oujani said that the medical equipment and advanced equipment are available in government centers with the possibility of providing more, adding that the problem lies in the long waiting list due to the high demand for deadlines. He added that private centers do not provide a solution in return because the costs of treatment are high, as the person who does not have health insurance can not pay, the cost of the session, which does not exceed 35 minutes between 500 and 750 dirhams.

Al-Oghani suggested that appointments be made in the evening in government centers and that special laws should be enacted for families with children of interest who would allow them to retire early and to pay a reward to the mother who was hired to follow her son's treatment. Or free home help, pointing out that some of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries provide this kind of privileges to those with an interest.

Umm Mansour al-Rayes, the mother of a child with an interest, said the school's school program does not exceed three hours a day because the shadow teacher shares it with another child while paying full tuition fees. The seven-year-old Mansour suffers from Down Syndrome, and other symptoms suggest he may have autism. His mother, who preferred not to be named, said the cost of education was very high. To the fee paid to the shadow teacher, which is estimated at 90 thousand dirhams per year. She added that the cost of the school and the shadow teacher added to the treatment sessions needed by Mansour, which is two sessions a week, and exceeds the cost of 200 thousand dirhams per year.

As for how well she benefited from the school program, Umm Mansour confirmed that she did not feel any progress in school performance. He did not respond at home to write any of his school assignments or to hear any information he learned while in school.

Owners with an interest:

«The appreciation of our circumstances depends on the mood of officials in those bodies .. The parties are not cooperating».

"Accompanying our children for medical appointments obligates us to take periodic leave from the balance of our annual leave."

90

A thousand Dhs fee for the shadow teacher added to the 200 thousand cost of treatment sessions annually.