Mada Center and Qatar Career Development Center (QCDC), a member of the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science, and Community Development (QF), held a graduation ceremony for the participants in the “Facilitating Career Development Program”; the first accredited training program in Qatar in the field of career counseling to empower persons with disabilities through ICTs. The program was conducted within the framework of the partnership agreement signed between the two Centers. During the ceremony, certificates were distributed to the Program graduates from various relevant bodies. Mada – Assistive Technology Center Qatar had signed a partnership agreement with QCDC in aims at working on developing services in the field of education, professional development, advice providing, and capacity building in the of career guidance and development field. The agreement also seeks supporting students with functional limitations in transitioning from supported education to advanced education through access to information and communication technology. To date, the most important commitments stemming from this partnership have been fulfilled, including the QCDC website receiving Mada Digital Access Accreditation, and the accreditation of 10 specialists in providing career guidance to people with disabilities as part of the Facilitating Career Development Program.
The ceremony featured handing out certificates of participation to 10 trainees who participated in the Facilitating Career Development Program, in which the National Career Development Association (NCDA) offered a comprehensive training to qualify participants in the field of career counseling and facilitation for people with disabilities. Hence, the program graduates have completed the first step towards becoming licensed by NCDA to practice career counseling as professional service providers.
The Program seeks to enable trainees to use assistance skills in professional facilitation, access to information, and labor market resources. It also aims at enabling them to use assessments of professional facilitation while being able to deal with diverse groups in need of professional facilitation, including persons with disabilities. The Program worked on building trainees’ capacities in terms of acquiring employment skills, training clients and peers, and using information and communication technology in professional facilitation to help persons with disabilities. Participants were also trained to use the latest assistive technology devices to support the professional development of persons with disabilities. The total number of trainees in the program amounted to 10 trainees from the Ministry of Administrative Development, Labor, and Social Affairs, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, Qatar Career Development Center, and Ghaya Management Training L.L.C. Trainees received 120 hours of training.
Mrs. Maha Al Mansouri, CEO of Mada Center, delivered a speech at the ceremony in which she said, “We at Mada Center are pleased to continue with our distinguished achievements in this field. Qatar has ranked first globally on the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index. Based on the Mada 2019-2021 strategy, and so as to fulfill its role as a strategic enabler for the relevant actors in the field of creating an environment for people with disabilities, Mada Center works to empower the educational, social, and cultural sectors in terms of digital accessibility through strategic and operational partnerships with these actors. The active partnership between Mada Center and the QCDC serves this purpose.”
Mrs. Maha Al Mansouri congratulated the graduates, stating: “We all know that persons with disabilities face a set of difficulties that impede their full integration into society, independence, and achieving their future aspirations, especially at the professional level. To overcome these difficulties and challenges in terms of professional development, Mada Center and QCDC launched the Facilitating Career Development Program.”
In his statement, QCDC’s Executive Director, Mr. Abdulla Al-Mansoori said, “I am delighted to be with you today to witness the graduation of this group of trainers. This achievement serves QCDC and QF’s larger goal to work diligently to reach various social groups, and specifically to enhance the capabilities of students with disabilities.”
Al-Mansoori further said, “We seek to empower and assist students with disabilities in setting their post-educational goals, so that they can develop their skills. Additionally, we aim at raising community awareness about the role of digital access in empowering and integrating persons with disabilities in society. Therefore, we sought to establish many strategic partnerships and fruitful relations with various parties and partners nationwide, to ensure access to qualified cadres capable of fulfilling their role and perfectly performing the tasks entrusted to them, ultimately serving Qatar’s national priorities.”
During the ceremony, Mada Center presented QCDC with an honorary shield and a certificate of Digital Access Accreditation. Under this accreditation, the QCDC website has become accessible to all members of society, including people with disabilities and the elderly, as a culmination of long months of joint work with Mada Center to meet all international Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG 2.1). This accomplishment pours into promoting digital inclusion and empowering people with disabilities and the elderly, as well as supporting their independence.
QCDC’s attainment of the Digital Access Accreditation certificate comes as part of the implementation of the Mada 2019-2021 strategy to enhance digital accessibility in Qatar, and QCDC’s ceaseless endeavor to develop a career counseling and guidance policy to enhance the capabilities of students with disabilities, help them define their post-educational goals, and become aware of their skills. Moreover, QCDC’s pursuit seeks raising the level of community awareness on digital access as a means of empowering people with disabilities and integrating them in society.
By obtaining this certificate, the QCDC website has become one of websites that have obtained the Mada Digital Access Accreditation.
