People of Determination in the UAE will soon have a first-of-its-kind social media platform to be launched by Inclusive, a platform that enables supporters of inclusion in local communities to connect, collaborate with each other and promote the inclusion of People of Determination into the community.

Inclusive links People of Determination with individuals, special centres, policymakers, government bodies, institutions and enterprises that support them. Through its three pillars: community, awareness and opportunity, Inclusive has been accepted among the first members of the Ma’an Social Incubator as one of ten start-ups.

The platform aims to welcome its growing database of supporters to sign in to the web application and utilise its features in mid-March 2020. Inclusive will provide a secure, online and accessible space for people of all abilities to discuss and work for the inclusion of People of Determination into their local communities. It will also serve as an online umbrella for all things related to inclusion, so the community can collaborate to integrate People of Determination into everyday activities and events.

The initiative is founded by Hafsa Qadeer, who created Inclusive, driven by the lack of credible information and accessible activities for her sibling, Ahmed Qadeer, a Person of Determination who was diagnosed with Spinal Bifida at birth.

"Growing up, I realised it is not people who are disabled, but the approach of a community towards a Person of Determination that can be disabled and unequal. It is important to realise inclusion is a generalised behaviour within communities. Through our three pillars: community, awareness and opportunity, and under our initiative, #IAmInclusive, we encourage everyone in the community to collaborate with us and make the programmes more inclusive. We are here as catalysts to facilitate this transition to more inclusive communities," said Qadeer.

"Through our social media platform, we can integrate inclusion in our daily lifestyles, and we are grateful for the positive response our initiatives receive from residents and nationals of the UAE," added Qadeer.

To date, Inclusive has organised three nationwide campaigns, including the first-ever online recipe contest in the UAE for teams of determination, in collaboration with the Abu Dhabi Culinary Season. It continues to collaborate with over 15 community partners in the UAE, including the Mohammed Bin Rashid Centre for Special Education, to organise accessible events in different emirates.

We accept Guest Posts