Khaberni - The King Salman Center for Disability Research revealed to "Alarabiya.net" that mobility disability (inability to walk) represents a prevalence rate of about 52.6% in Saudi Arabia, making it the most widespread in the country, compared to other types of disabilities.
The center, which supports persons with disabilities in Saudi Arabia through the launch of national initiatives and specialized research programs, provided a series of figures on the reality of the disability phenomenon, clarifying that the prevalence rate of visual disabilities reached 7%, while the hearing disability rate is about 2.7%, in addition to the mental disability associated with other pathological factors, which accounts for about 39.2%.
National database
In the same context, the center is currently working on developing a reliable scientific national database on the reality of disability to support research and innovations in the fields of medicine, technology, and education, which achieves the targets of Saudi Vision 2030 towards building an inclusive and equitable society that ensures a dignified life for persons with disabilities, in addition to providing accurate statistical information that can be relied on in planning health, educational, and rehabilitative services.
79% of Saudi families have a disabled member
Furthermore, data from the center showed that about 79.7% of families in Saudi Arabia include at least one person with a disability, against 20.3% of families that contain more than one family member suffering from a disability at the very least. The center also pointed out a number of challenges it faces in collecting and analyzing disability data at the national level.
Key challenges
The management of the center summarized these challenges as being coordination and standardization of data and integration of infrastructure, research classification, and the availability of accurate and comprehensive data, in addition to other technical and operational challenges, such as the incomplete national unified registry for disability, and the lack of integrated electronic infrastructure, affecting electronic linking and providing the center with real-time and accurate data.
Developing metrics and programs
The center indicates that one of its operational aspects is the preparation of standardized Arab metrics compatible with the Saudi environment in the fields of diagnosis, early detection, training, rehabilitation, and educational and therapeutic interventions, to ensure providing accurate and reliable services for persons with disabilities.
In the same frame, the center believes that the absence of any research classification for the state of disability creates the need to ensure that all governmental and service agencies apply a uniform and standard classification for disability, which compares and analyzes research data with high precision.
962 scientific researches
In terms of scientific research, the King Salman Center for Disability Research significantly focuses on its works, having completed about 962 studies, while most of its research programs focus on supporting and funding advanced projects, forming specialized research and innovation groups, and establishing strategic partnerships in high-tech fields serving people with disabilities, which includes nanotechnology, robotics, stem cell therapy, and employing artificial intelligence.
Screening 5 million children
Among the initiatives, the early screening program for newborns to reduce disability, which is among the most prominent initiatives supported by the center, has screened about 5 million children since 2005, preventing the emergence of more than 1400 disability cases through early intervention that protects children from deteriorating health conditions and reduces the burden on families.
Future plans
"Disability Research" revealed future plans that include expanding cooperation with local and international universities and research centers within the global scientific partnership program, which connects distinguished researchers from the top 100 global universities with their counterparts in the kingdom, enhancing the quality of scientific research, transferring skills and modern technology, building local research capacities, and improving the quality of disability research to the highest global standards.
At the same time, the King Salman Center for Disability Research is concerned with programs that improve the quality of life and enable people with disabilities, for example, it launched the national program for learning difficulties in cooperation with the Saudi Ministry of Education to rehabilitate thousands of teachers and improve the educational performance of more than half a million students who suffer from cognitive difficulties, thus enhancing their future opportunities in education and work.
Additionally, the center also indicated that it is developing standards for day care and rehabilitation to ensure the provision of high-quality services, in addition to adapting the built environment, transportation means, and public facilities for persons with disabilities in Saudi Arabia, to enable comprehensive access and more independent community participation for persons with disabilities.
