Qatar retailer aims to hire many more people with disabilities

From Gulf Times in Qatar:

THE One, a leading fashion retailer, has said that by 2012, 5% of its total employees would be people with special needs.

According to the retailer, the move aims to foster better understanding of disabilities among able-bodied people and encourage greater social integration of people with disabilities into the society.

Currently with three special needs personnel out of a total staff of 93 in Qatar, the company is leading the way in actively searching out physically and mentally challenged individuals who may be suitable candidates for employment. The third person recently employed by the retailer was Vivian Penpillo, a 34-year-old Filipina who was left paralysed from the waist down after a car accident a year ago.

She joined the company as receptionist in March and soon proved herself to show people that physically-challenged employees can function and contribute meaningfully to an organisation.

“I'm so thankful to THE One, which is supporting people like me. I feel lucky, despite my disabilities, because I have a job and a chance to prove that we too can work like 'normal' people,” Vivian said.

The other two employees are Ahmed Issa, a 21-year-old wheelchair-bound Sudanese ex-footballer, who joined the company as cashier in December 2007 and Marwan al-Olbaidi, an 18-year-old British national, who was born in Iraq with Morquio syndrome - a form of mucopolysaccharidosis that affects skeletal development - was employed as receptionist and Planogram controller in January this year.Marwan moved to Qatar about 10 months ago. Having lived in the UK, he experienced first-hand how transportation and wheelchair accessibility to buildings and streets can be improved to accommodate the physically- challenged. He hopes Qatar increases the number of wheelchair accessible taxis.

“There are only about five wheelchair accessible taxis, only one of which actually works. I have a motorised wheelchair, but the streets are unsafe because there is nowhere for me to drive and hardly any ramps or even lifts,” he said.