The Ministry of Community Development has developed a guide that includes a set of criteria that should be applied in holding virtual meetings, to ensure that people of determination can attend and participate in its work, as the guide included
Three measures should be applied during preparation for the virtual meeting, including choosing a platform that supports people of determination with different disabilities access to it, as well as making technical adjustments to suit their capabilities, and making the materials and announcements of those meetings easily accessible to them.
The director of the Department of Welfare and Rehabilitation of People of Determination at the Ministry, Wafa Hamad bin Sulaiman, told «Emirates Today» that the Ministry has set a set of standards that are required to be applied to enable people of determination to access electronic platforms and communicate via virtual media, with a view to their participation in the areas of daily life, where They were able to participate in the works of the Advisory Council of People of Determination, which was reconstituted at the end of last month.
She added that the preparation of the guide comes within the framework of adhering to the requirements of comprehensive design when preparing and providing services for people of determination, according to what was stipulated in the criteria and axes of the national policy for empowering people of determination in the Emirates. She stated that the Comprehensive Design Hub aims to enable people of determination to access all programs, services, and physical and technical environments on an equal basis with others. Bin Sulaiman stressed the importance of the guide related to remote meetings of people of determination, to serve as a reference that includes simplified practical explanations for organizers of meetings and virtual events, To ensure that those meetings and seminars are easily accessible for those of determination, by harnessing a set of simple equipment used in reading texts, visual and audio explanations and the sign language for the deaf, enabling them to integrate into various virtual activities through their presence.
She continued that facilitating the participation of people of determination in virtual meetings is one of the ways of empowering people of determination with various disabilities, expressing the Ministry's aspiration to the guide's contribution in creating virtual environments for people of determination, and facilitating their effective participation in the business world, social and cultural life based on the principles of justice and equal opportunities for all .
It recommended Bin Sulayman to adhere to the standards of the guide when holding any hypothetical meeting to consolidate a culture of understanding and respecting the rights of people of determination in a practical way, and in line with the principles established by state laws.
The guide, which Emirates Today viewed an electronic version, provides a list of practices applied in organizing virtual meetings friendly to those of determination, and includes steps taken at all stages, whether before the meeting, or during the meeting, by explaining ways of dealing with people of determination during the meetings on distance.
The guide refers to a set of virtual platforms available, and explains their technical features, and the mechanisms for organizing virtual meetings, including how to invite the attendees, their workflow, and everything that motivates the inclusion and participation of people of determination in them.
The guide to holding virtual meetings stressed to ensure that people of determination can attend, the need to choose a technical platform that supports access for people of determination with movement, visual, auditory and cognitive disabilities, indicating some examples such as the use of many blind people programs called screen reader to access content on their devices, and use some People with keyboard movement disabilities instead of the mouse.
Procedures for preparing for the virtual meeting:
■ Choose a platform that supports people of determination with different disabilities.
■ Make technical adjustments that fit the capabilities of people of determination.
■ Make articles and advertisements accessible to people of determination.
4 Information that should be mentioned in the announcement message of the default event:
■ Welcome people of determination to participate in virtual meetings.
■ Provide information to people of determination about access to programs or the event holding platform.
■ A clear explanation of the technical equipment used to hold the event.
■ Providing more than one means of communication that enables those of determination to actively participate in the event.