The Assistive Technology Center, Qatar “Mada” participated in the Smart City Expo Doha 2022 held under the theme of “Sustaining a Future of Resilience”. The event was held on March 29-30 in Msheireb Heart of Doha under the patronage of His Excellency Sheikh Khalid bin Khalifa bin Abdulaziz Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, and organized by the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.
This event allowed the audience to explore opportunities in the digital world and learn about sustainable cities, the reshaping of digital public services, the global economy, digital readiness, and events in a connected society.
Mada’s participation in this event as the Center of Excellence in digital access in Arabic in the world is in the context of implementing its strategy that seeks to promote the meanings of digital inclusion and build an accessible technological society in line with the sustainable development goals that focus on maintaining the balance between social, economic and environmental sustainability.
Through its pavilion in the researcher’s area at the Smart City Expo Doha 2022, Mada Center presented its latest achievements in the field of innovation and digital access research that keep pace with the latest developments of the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The Center’s pavilion also sheds light on the outcomes and impact of the strategic partnerships held by Mada and their role in empowering persons with disabilities and the elderly.
The Mada pavilion also provided a practical model for the inclusive visitor experience that showcased accessible transportation, accessible museums as well as accessible content, in addition to an accessible electronic services kiosk and an accessible customer service point, which would facilitate access for persons with disabilities and the elderly, support their independence and enable equal opportunities for them to participate in the digital society.
Mrs. Maha Al-Mansoori, CEO of Mada Center, said: ” At Mada Center, we were pleased with our participation in the Smart City Expo Doha 2022 Conference and Exhibition, which constitutes a good opportunity and platform for exchanging experiences in the field of inclusive smart cities. Through this participation, we aim to present the best practices in the field of digital inclusion and the latest innovations developed by Mada researchers and experts in this field. We also seek to increase our strategic partnerships with priority sectors, entities, and technology makers in order to support and enhance digital access to create a better and more inclusive future for cities and everyone.”
It is worth noting that the State of Qatar is among the advanced countries in this field, as Qatar ranked first worldwide in implementing digital access rights according to the Digital Accessibility Rights Evaluation Index (DARE) issued by the Global Initiative for Inclusive ICTs.
