Saudi Arabia minister urges awareness of disability issues

From Khaleej Times in Saudi Arabia:

DUBAI - Maryam Al Roumi, UAE Minister of Social Affairs, stressed the need for more awareness within the Arab nations about the rights of disabled people.

She emphasised the need for new resources to rehabilitate people with disability so as to integrate them with the normal stream of life.

In a statement made to mark Arab Disability Day, which falls today, Al Roumi said that it is the first time the Arab world is marking this day.

Al Roumi said the UAE signed an agreement and its optional protocol in February this year committing itself to abide by the rules.

This endorsement was also a completion of the earlier ratification of the Arab Decade for Persons with Disability 2004-2013 project initiated by the Arab League.

The minister said disabled people have the same rights as everybody else and are never to be discriminated against.