Integrating People with Disabilities into Society in the UAE

Abstract

In recent years, the topic of individuals with disabilities in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has received greater media attention. From Down syndrome to autism, one can observe the development of campaigns and organizations to spread awareness and to provide the help and facilities required for a wide range of disabilities. However, there is a scarcity of literature regarding the role of cultural and social contexts in the integration or nonintegration of disabled people in UAE society. Using both primary and secondary source materials, this chapter explores the social and cultural variables that condition the experiences of disabled people within the UAE. This chapter investigates the interplay between socioeconomic structures, governmental strategies, and cultural attitudes with a view to identifying the multiple challenges that disabled people and their families face.

Conclusion

This chapter attempts to highlight a prevailing tendency of cultural stigmas and aversion toward integration of the disabled in the UAE society. As demonstrated, there are key obstacles that must be overcome before inclusion and integration can be achieved and prevail. The role of disabled people within society has largely been predestined for them starting from diagnosis of any problem. Unfortunately, for this portion of society in the Gulf region , they can hope for little more than to meagerly exist on the edge of society, discriminated against, stereotyped, and largely ignored. If such cultural norms are to ever change, serious efforts need to be made, including government public awareness programs and integration programs, to change the mentality toward such people. The trend is reversible; the UAE is a relatively young country compared to most progressive nations. As the UAE continues to develop, it can align its infrastructure to include the many necessary elements that will create a tolerant atmosphere for disabled people. Most importantly, a cultural change is on the horizon due to a general drift toward global awareness of the challenges confronting the disabled ; these minorities deserve lives enriched with dignity, education , and hope for a bright future as any normally functioning majority of the population strives to have.