Diana Al-Jassem
JEDDAH - Several private companies and hospitals in cooperation with the Disabled Children's Association, have begun offering new services and effecting changes in their facilities to address the needs of the disabled.
Saudi Arabian Airlines has special offices for the disabled at airports in Jeddah, Riyadh and Damman. The company has provided wheelchairs in the departure area for easier transport of disabled passengers to the plane.
Ambulances equipped with oxygen tanks have been put on standby for emergency cases.
Abdul Aziz Al-Mohaisen, senior specialist in the special needs unit for the on-board services programs of the airline, said they offer special meals, a special magazine, and safety instruction guides in Braille for autistic and visually impaired passengers.
Toilets accessible to those using wheelchairs are now available. "More importantly, a staff solely dedicated to attend to the needs of disabled passengers are on board," he said.
Abdul Latif Jameel Rehabilitation Hospital has rehabilitation specialists and psychologists especially for the disabled.
Amer S. Abu Amer, the hospital's marketing manager, said that this is necessary since they receive many transfer requests for disabled patients from other centers. He added that they also coordinate with Saudi Aramco, Saudi Arabian Airlines and Social Insurance for their programs for the disabled.
Al-Thoraya private school distributed gifts to disabled children on Dec. 6 at an exhibition sponsored by Jeddah Governor, Prince Mishal Bin Majed Bin Abdul Aziz and Dr. Donia Bin Ali, head of the organizing committee for the Disabled Children's Day.
"You are not alone," said a banner raised by the support group of the Disabled Children's Association.
The group said that parking slots must be allocated for the disabled, and that these should be near the entrances of buildings like malls and government buildings, near elevators or no farther than the middle of a general parking lot.
Public places such as streets, building entrances, markets and gardens need to have facilities like phone booths, mail boxes and water sources that are with reach of the disabled; i.e between 76 cm. and 137 cm high.
Public toilets have to be designed to better serve the disabled, they said.
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