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Doha, on May 10, 2023: The Qatar National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, in cooperation with the Department of Social Sciences at the College of Arts and Sciences at Qatar University, organized the third student forum for human rights under the title "Equal Rights", in the College of Education at the university, to commemorate the International Human Rights Day for 2022.

The forum, which is being held for the third year in a row, focused on issues of people with special needs and how to give them equal opportunities in society. This is reinforced by real life stories narrated by their owners to the audience in the Forum, to shed light on the aspects of their suffering and insistence.

The ceremony began with a welcoming speech by Dr. Fatima Al-Kubaisi, Head of the Department of Social Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences at Qatar University, during which she welcomed the participants and thanked the organizers and students, and stressed that the process of cooperation with the Qatar National Committee for Education, Culture and Science continues through these forums. This was followed by a speech of Qatar National Committee for Education, Culture and Science, delivered by Ms. Amna Muhammad Al-Buainain, International Studies Consultant, during which she stressed the importance of the forum and cooperation between the various educational bodies, especially in the field of human rights.

For her part, Dr. Amal Jamal, a professor at the College of Arts at Qatar University, presented an intervention entitled "The Effectiveness of Social Work Programs for Developing Life Skills for Girls with Intellectual Disabilities". She shed light on a semi-experimental study she conducted on 15 girls with intellectual disabilities for a period of 6 months, aimed at measuring the effectiveness of the social work programs in developing the skills of these girls. The study concluded that thoughtful social programs are able to develop the skills of people with intellectual disabilities, and recommended the institutions working in this field to conduct studies on their programs.

Mrs. Fatima Hamad, Head of the Assistive Technology Department at Al Noor Center for the Blind, told the inspiring story of her struggle with blindness (since birth), and showed how she overcame social obstacles to complete her education and gain qualifications sufficient to reach her current position. Among the experiences that were presented on the forum was the story of Mrs. Hanan Hamed, who fought for her disabled child, and how his long-term care benefited her on a personal and human level.

During an intervention, Ms. Tahani Al-Shammari, a lecturer in the Social Work Program at the Department of Social Sciences at Qatar University, presented a study by Dr. Kaltham Al-Kuwari to educate mothers about the characteristics of autistic children vis a selective program through a study conducted by researchers in Qatar on 36 mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder continued for 8 months. She demonstrated the effectiveness of the selective program applied in educating mothers about their children.

The student presentations began with an intervention by the student Iman Jamooti about the "Cultivate Hope" initiative, which she implemented with students with disabilities on campus, in cooperation with centers for the care of the disabled. As for the student, Al-Khansaa Al-Zein, she gave an intervention entitled "The Role of Qatari Institutions in Protecting the Rights of Persons with Disabilities", during which she shed light on the work mechanisms of the Qatari legislation and social institutions in caring for people with disabilities. Among these institutions are the Shafallah Center and the Mada Center. She also highlighted Qatar's interest in people with disabilities during the Qatar 2022 World Cup. As for the student, Imtenan Al-Qahtani, she presented an intervention entitled "Professional Practice of the Method of Organizing Society in Improving the Quality of Life for the Mentally Handicapped."

 At the end of the ceremony, the Qatar National Committee for Education, Culture and Science and the Department of Social Sciences awarded certificates of honor to the participating students and professors in appreciation of their efforts that contributed to the success of the forum.