Special Needs in Oman…

Today, I was delighted to see that the above event is scheduled to take place this week at our university. In addition, I was happy to read an Op-Ed in the Times of Oman today on the need to improve care for people with special needs in Oman. As a disability advocate and scholar who publishes on disability (my recent article on disability in Iranian film, “From Leprosy to The Willow Tree: Decoding Disability & Islamic Spirituality in Iranian Film,” was included last year in the Rethinking Disability on Screen symposium at the University of York), I am excited to be witnessing first-hand a growing awareness in Oman about people with disabilities and special needs. My experiences of raising awareness about physical, emotional, and mental disabilities through workshops and public events (in high schools and universities) in Lebanon and Oman have greatly enriched my life in the Middle East and Persian Gulf over the past five years. I’ve learned so much from my friendships with activists like Laila Atshan, a blind Palestinian Harvard-educated therapist treating Yazidi victims of ISIS, and even had the chance to speak about disability rights with heads-of-state like the Dragon King of Bhutan. Further, working with Syrian refugees in Beirut as a professor, yogini, mentor, and volunteer has made me more aware of the intersections of disability and war. It has been a great honor and joy to be a part of the global conversation on disability. We have so much more work to be do — and we need as many allies as we can find. Every attempt to cultivate disability awareness is a step towards achieving greater justice, equality, and understanding for people with temporary and permanent disabilities around the world.