The situation of special needs and Strategy for empowering people with disabilities in different stages at United Arab Emirates. Case Study: University of Sharjah

Abstract

The aim of this study to identify the status of people with disabilities, the strategy of integrating them into the academic and professional life and to identify the problems arising from their inclusion in various aspects such as educational, social and environmental aspects. The sample surveyed in this study was 51 male and female students, reached through the Resource Center for People with disabilities at the University of Sharjah at different colleges. The questionnaire includes 30 questions. After obtaining and analyzing the results, it was reached that students with disabilities suffer from many difficulties during their study at the university, including educational difficulties, which are represented in the difficulty of performing exams and the difficulty of absorbing the academic subjects. As well as social difficulties which are represented in the difficulty of making social relationships and the inability to make friendships with other students and non-participation in various university activities. Also, there are environmental difficulties represented by the library's lack of appropriate halls and the lack of guidance boards that help students with disabilities to move within the university and the difficulty of getting a parking for those with disabilities near the university entrance. And by analyzing the results of the questionnaire, we also concluded that there are others difficulties for incorporating and inserting people with disabilities in professional field despite of strategies that the United Arab Emirates implement in all fields for facilitating and encouraging people with disabilities to continue their studies and inserting them in the society.