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The session started with a short profile on Braille's life and his achievements that helped blind people to read. Mr. Adel Al Zommar, Vice
President of EAB, discussed the Braille system and spoke about the challenges facing the development of Braille in the Arab World and inhibiting its wider use.
"Cost is the main reason that prevents the spread of the Braille system and the lack of special printers that meet the needs of blind people, as well as the absence of laws and regulations that guarantees the rights of blind people as important individuals in the Emirati community,"
he said.
The session was attended by people who are participating in the Tamkeen programme and who spoke about their opinions on the occasion. Dana
Shawati said: "The EAB activities increase the awareness of the issues and offer the opportunity to blind people to participate in the community, but these are still limited and do not cover all fields and interests. I joined the Tamkeen programme four years ago and I have learned many things in this time such as computer science and English, and I also participated in a training session in the area of customer service, which allowed Tamkeen to find a job opportunity for me at Emirates airline."
Dr Chris Canning, CEO and Medical Director of Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai, added: "January 4th 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth
of Louis Braille who devised the brilliantly simple system to help vision impaired people to read, using just six dots.
"Like so many of the world's greatest scientific developments, we must thank the Arab world. The earliest precursor to braille was developed in
the 14th century by Ali Ibn Ahmed Ibn Yusuf Ibn Al-Khizr Al-Amidi, a Syrian who was blind from childhood and who developed a touch sensitive
code which allowed him to 'read'.
"Moorfields Eye Hospital Dubai is delighted to mark this special day alongside Emirates Association for the Blind and Tamkeen, whose work is so important to the vision impaired community in the UAE, and we hope to continue working with these two associations in 2009."
Posted by Rima Ali Al Mashni
