Awareness Events

	Learning Disabilities in Higher Education Awareness Campaign DXB In honor of the 1000 Voices campaign, which ran for the entire month of February 2023 to raise awareness of learning disabilities in higher education, the event was held to mark the end of the campaign and raise awareness about the different learning disabilities students face in higher education. A team from SAS spoke about the services offered to SAS students at the event. Click here for more information
	1000 Voices Campaign As part of the UAE Innovates Month in February 2023, a full-month awareness campaign will be launched on learning impairments and the necessity of self-identifying learning disabilities amongst the higher education students. 1800 people were reached through physical and online activities and produced educational material. Five UAE universities participated in the on-campus events hosted by ZU. (see SAS YouTube channel link below for produced material). Click here for more information
	Zero Project Conference - ZeroCon22 The Zero Project Conference – ZeroCon22 – is a hybrid event that spanned three days, from Wednesday, February 23, 2022 to Friday, February 25, 2022 and saw contributions from world leaders, speakers from renowned organizations, as well as innovations from around the world. Fatma Alqassimi- Director of Students Accessibility Services participated in the event on Friday, February 25th. Click here for more information
	A Note of Gratitude to Faculty We, in the Department of Students Accessibility services (SAS) thank all Zayed University faculty for your diligence and valued efforts, as we work together to support Students of Determination during this unprecedented time. As faculty members, you have demonstrated incredible commitment to Zayed University Students of Determination, you have stepped forward with flexibility and resilience to ensure quality educational outcomes for each one of the students. Click here for more information
	The 11th White Cane Day "Employability of people with vision impairment: Between the present and the desired future" The Annual White Cane day celebration at Zayed university this year focused on provoking discussions around employability and provided a venue to share journeys, insights and experiences from disability experts and Zayed University visually impaired alumni. With the UAE approaching fifty years of union and prosperity, it is more critical than ever to address and discuss the topic: “Employability of people with vision impairment: Between the present and the desired future” which this event covered. The event took place online via Zoom on October 25th, 2021 between 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM. Click here to view the event
	Zayed University Celebrates Learning Diversity Student Accessibility Services Virtually Organizes The 4th “Learning Difficulties” Event The Department of Student Accessibility Services (SAS) at Zayed University (ZU) has recently organized an online event under the theme of ‘Celebrate Learning Diversity’. The event focuses on raising awareness on the uniqueness of each individual’s learning capacity. The event took place on 16th of March 2021 and featured Zayed university students that SAS is working with and hosted many interactive activities to raise awareness about learning difficulties. Click here to view the event
	Ear Care Awareness Day In association with VPS, SAS ran two events to create awareness of hearing and the importance of looking after ears in Dubai on the 9th of April and Abu Dhabi on the 11th of April 2018. Both highly successful displays evolved around workshops and activities which created awareness of hearing impairment, and the profoundly deaf. There was a special clinic set up to test hearing with a qualified audiologist. This was followed by a poster display with a nurse who explained the content to the participants. Next, one of SAS’s profoundly deaf students gave a presentation about her communication journey using assistive technology. There was also a lecture by a qualified audiologist on the structure of the ear and how to care for it. In addition, there was a listening game, and a display of technology items that people can use if they are deaf or hard of hearing. Finally, participants learned how to sign to show how the profoundly deaf communicate within their community.
	Eight ZU White Cane Day With the slogan “With my Cane, my Freedom I Gain”, this eagerly anticipated annual event captured the minds of students and faculty alike with its creative activities and well-designed program. Participants experienced low vision with specially designed glasses which simulated the effects of different eye diseases. There was also training on how to use a white can, and the best ways to guide a blind person. One of the most popular events was Eating in the Dark where participants experienced how blind people eat their food. In Abu Dhabi an artist demonstrated how blind people paint, and participants put on blind folds to paint plastic face masks, and scenes on paper. While in Dubai a museum was established showing how the use of Braille evolved over the past two hundred years. Students with low vision also demonstrated the applications they use on a daily basic to access their technology. Al Nattiq was in attendance at both events show casing the up-to-date equipment being used at the moment by the blind and people with low vision.