Doha: Assistive technologies and Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are powerful tools for advancing welfare and wellbeing for all in building inclusive communities. Mada (Qatar Assistive Technology Center) continues to support innovation and innovators in digital accessibility in order to enhance inclusivity and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and elderly, said a official during a virtual event held recently.
The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) organised an event entitled ‘Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), Innovation and Accessibility: Towards Building Inclusive Communities’. Amani Al Tamimi, Manager of Digital Accessibility Programs at Mada Center underlined the importance of ICTs and assistive technology in fostering digital and social inclusion of persons with disabilities in all aspects of society and development.
Addressing the event, Amani Al Tamimi said the Mada Center has made great progress in all levels to reduce the digital barriers that may hinder the access of people with disabilities and elderly to ICT in Qatar and Arab world.
“We have made remarkable progress in improving the quality of services provided to enabling them to live independently and to ensure effective participation in development process in all fields. Qatar has ranked first worldwide on the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index 2020 (DARE Index 2020) and there are many efforts to enhance digital accessibility from several organisations and entities in Qatar.”
“We work to build more effective and strategic partnerships locally and internationally and therefore, we successfully implemented specialised projects through our partnership with the education, culture, and the community sectors to be more inclusive in ICT.
This was achieved by developing and providing a wide range of services and activities aimed to build the capability of the strategic partners and raising the awareness in addition to increasing the number of assistive technology solutions in Arabic language through Mada innovation programme,” she added.
Speaking about the mechanism of Mada innovation programme to support innovations in digital accessibility, Al Tamimi said, “The programme is designed to encourage innovators to create Arabic language solution for people with disability and elderly which increase its availability within the region through grants programme and also through the entrepreneurship. Mada aims to provide mechanism to bring relevant innovative assistive technologies and accessibility products and services to the local market and beyond.”
The goal of Mada’s innovation programme is the encourage the establishment of private sector, assistive market in Qatar to the Arab world. Over four years through Mada innovation ecosystem – financing and supporting mechanism, “we have successfully invested in specialised technology solutions to become available in Qatar and Arab market through Mada innovation programme and as a result 47 technology solutions are now in our innovation portfolio supported by the programme in investment amount of QR8m,” she said.
Al Tamimi added that the entrepreneurs support track was great success as we were able to develop and support six emerging innovations in the field of digital access in Arabic.
