The Gulf and Arabian Peninsula Studies Unit at the Arab Center for Research and Policy Studies hosted a lecture by Associate Professor at the College of Science and Engineering, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Dena Al-Thani. The event, part of the Unit's monthly lecture series, was introduced by ACRPS Researcher, Alanoud Alkhalifa. Held on Sunday, 6 October 2024, the lecture was titled "The Journey to Digital Inclusion: The Case of Qatar".
Al-Thani began by showcasing how technological advancements can foster independence for people with disabilities and highlighted academic definitions and conventions, beginning with "persons with disabilities", who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments. She also defined "accessibility" as providing users or individuals access to services regardless of their abilities, languages, or religions, thereby enabling persons with disabilities to live independently and participate fully in all aspects of life, as well as "assistive technology", which refers to tools that allow individuals to function normally in the way they choose, regardless of their disabilities. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), assistive technology helps maintain or improve an individual's functioning related to cognition, communication, hearing, mobility, self-care, and vision, thereby enhancing their health, well-being, inclusion, and participation. Al-Thani then moved to explain the importance of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, because it is frequently referenced in research in this field, particularly the Article that focuses on access to information.
Al-Thani spoke of the WHO Priority Assistive Products List. In 2016, WHO emphasized the importance of assistive technology and made it a mandate for Member States. It provided a list of products prepared by experts in the field, a list that Al-Thani participated in creating. The current list was published in 2020 and identified 50 priority products based on widespread need and impact on individuals' lives. States are encouraged to provide these products free to their citizens and, in the meanwhile, efforts are being made to create a second list that incorporates AI to assist Member States in developing national priority assistive products.
Al-Thani explained with detail efforts and achievements of the State of Qatar in this respect. First is the World Autism Awareness Day, first proposed by Sheikha Moza bint Nasser to the United Nations in 2007, which was adopted without a vote by the United Nations General Assembly.
Second is Qatar's launch of Mada Assistive Technology Center. It was established in 2009 as the only center in the region that provides assistive technology services to citizens and residents of Qatar. Among its achievements is the national eAccessibility policy, ensuring web accessibility for all. Currently, only three countries in the Arab region have eAccessibility policies: Qatar (2011), Oman (2014), and the UAE (2024).
Third, in December 2019, Sheikha Moza participated in the inaugural Doha International Conference on Disability and Development, where she aimed to redefine the stereotypical understanding of disability to combat discrimination and misconceptions. During this conference, she announced the Doha Declaration, which addresses assistive technology and accessibility. Many countries signed this declaration in 2019. In 2022, she published an open letter to raise awareness about autism, emphasizing the role of modern technology and AI.
Fourth is the Global Digital Accessibility Index. In 2020, Qatar ranked first in this global evaluation of digital accessibility rights, assessing the readiness of infrastructure, public awareness, and government and NGO services.
Additional national effort involves Qatar being one of the first nations to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in May 2008, and in April 2015, it adopted a law on persons with disabilities that encompassed all rights contained in the Convention. A new law for people with disabilities was approved by the Qatar cabinet in March 2024, aligning well with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Further, the Qatar National Autism Plan (2017-2021) is currently being updated, with plans for a second version to be launched soon, aimed at improving services for individuals with autism.
Al-Thani mentioned two significant guidelines when it comes to accessibility: the W3C and the Universal Design Principles. W3C, the responsible body for setting web policies, has formed a group to establish guidelines for web accessibility. These guidelines are continuously revised, with three main versions published so far, aimed primarily at web developers to ensure web content is accessible.
The Universal Design Principles is an approach that focuses on ensuring that design choices do not exclude anyone. The seven principles of universal design were developed in 1997 by Ronald Mace at North Carolina State University, with input from architects, product designers, engineers, and environmental design researchers. The principles include equitable use, flexibility of use, simplicity and intuitiveness, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and appropriate size and space for use.
Al-Thani concluded her lecture by presenting her own work, particularly the A-Sense: Autism Sensing Center of Excellence, which she co-leads with Marwa Qaraqe. Esbtalished in April 2024, A-Sense is a world-class center aimed at enhancing innovative technology in the field of autism assessment and intervention. Through multidisciplinary research in computing, medicine, and education, the center seeks to deliver impactful technologies to support autistic children and their families, developing technology that combines AI capabilities with advanced sensing technology for quantitative assessment of children with autism.
