Disability Act UAE
People of determination
- In UAE, people with disabilities or those with special needs are referred as “people of determination” in recognition of their achievements in different fields.
- A person with special needs is one who is suffering from a temporary /permanent, full /partial deficiency or infirmity in his physical, sensational, mental, communicational, educational or psychological faculties to an extent decreasing the possibility of satisfying his ordinary requirements in the conditions of people without special needs.
- Through law, the UAE government guarantees equality as well as economic and social development programmes and policies to people of determination.
Disabilities act
Below are the Laws and policies pertaining to disability in UAE.
Federal Law No. 29 of 2006 Concerning the Rights of People with Special Needs
- This law protects the rights of people of determination and guarantees them the right to live with dignity.
- According to the law, a person's special needs shall not be a reason to deprive him/her of their rights and services especially in welfare as well as social, economic, health, educational, professional, cultural, and leisure services.
- The UAE has made big efforts to include people of determination in the mainstream educational settings by providing inclusive education for people of determination.
- The UAE provides for equal and fair employment opportunities to Emiratis of determination.
- UAE nationals with special needs have the right to work and occupy public positions.
- People of determination are entitled to receive monthly assistance subject to terms as per the existing laws.
- People of determination are protected and empowered through services and facilities in the areas of education, health, jobs in the following ways
- Protection, support and assistance of people of determination:
- Rehabilitation of people of determination
- The People of Determination Retreat
- Education for people of determination
- Employment of people of determination
- Health of people of determination
- Abu Dhabi Comprehensive Strategy for People of Determination 2020-2024
- Caring for people of determination amid COVID-19
- The National Policy for Empowering People of Determination
- Strategic Plan for the Rights of Children with Disabilities 2017-2021
Resolution No. 43 of 2018 in support of the people of determination
- This resolution aims to support the rights of people of determination (people with special needs or disabilities) in the field of employment by enabling access to opportunities in the labour market.
- This resolution requires government entities to protect the rights of people of determination to ensure their right to work on an equal basis with others and not to be discriminated against.
- The resolution stressed the need to provide working and health conditions for people of determination and not to terminate their services or refer them to retirement due to disability or its occurrence after appointment, unless retirement age is reached or a competent medical committee decision states they are not fit to work.
- This resolution also specifies that the private sector should be encouraged to integrate people of determination into their institutions and grant them exemptions and privileges.
A national policy for empowering people of determination.
- In 2017, the UAE Government launched a national policy for empowering people of determination.
- The policy aims to create an inclusive society for them and their families, through services and facilities that accommodate their needs.
Emirati sign language dictionary’
- In 2018, the UAE launched the first ‘Emirati sign language dictionary’, which seeks to develop and standardise the signs used by people of determination with hearing impairments across the UAE.
- The online dictionary is in line with Vision 2021 and National Agenda which aim to maintain a cohesive society and promote an inclusive environment that integrates all segments of society.
UAE's People of Determination Protection from Abuse Policy
- The policy condemns all forms of abuse and neglect of people of determination.
- Abuse and neglect involves depriving people of determination of their basic right to care, rehabilitation, medical care, recreation or community integration.
- It also condemns using such people to get material profits and not spend on them.
Association
- The UAE is a party to major international human rights treaties concerning people with special needs. This includes:
- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) (2010) (PDF)
- UN's Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Optional Protocol (OP-CRPD) (2008)
National Autism Policy
- The National Autism Policy aims at improving the health and well-being of people with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and to support caregivers. The policy also focuses on upgrading the skills of personnel working at ASD centres and raising the efficiency of the services offered.
- The UAE Government has launched and implemented several initiatives and programmes for the benefit of people with ASD. The National Autism Policy aims to synchronise these efforts. The policy ensures that all those with ASD have full and equal access to the resources they require to achieve their full potential.
- The mission of the policy is to support and empower persons with autism spectrum disorder and their parents at all ages, through high quality early diagnosis and clear educational paths that support their individual needs at various stages of education, work and public life in preparation of their inclusion and adaptation in the society and raising their wellbeing standards.
- Below are the objectives of this policy
- Objective 1: Early detection and accurate diagnosis of autism according to specific and reliable diagnostic tools by qualified specialists
- Objective 2: Providing comprehensive health services for persons with autism according to their individual needs, by specialists trained on how to deal and communicate with them
- Objective 3: Providing qualified specialists to provide education, rehabilitation and treatment services for persons with autism in terms of quantity and quality in each specialty
- Objective 4: Providing a reliable source for provision of information on autism to the community, and an interactive means to respond to public inquiries
- Objective 5: Facilitate the access of persons with autism to public and private education at all stages, and ensure the provision of necessary support for their educational adapation
- Objective 6: Facilitating and ensuring the access of persons with autism to various areas
