Sharjah 24: The Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) launched the Self-Advocacy Unit, which aims to develop work at the level of all schools and branches in the SCHS, and raises awareness of self-advocacy and the role of self-advocates.

The unit supervises the representation of the SCHS in self-advocacy activities inside and outside UAE.

The unit undertakes the tasks of organising, unifying and activating self-advocacy efforts, setting policies and procedures, and innovating, developing and implementing initiatives that will develop the work of self-advocacy in the SCHS. 

It also works on planning and coordinating activities that act as self-advocates at the community level. In addition to strengthening the role of self-advocates, rehabilitating and empowering them through training courses and workshops, and holding the necessary awareness and organisational meetings.

It also aims on finding and developing partnership agreements and direct cooperation with partner institutions regarding self-advocacy activities and innovating, developing and implementing initiatives that would develop self-advocacy work in the SCHS.

On this occasion, Sheikha Sheikha Sultan Al Qasimi, Self-Advocacy Coordinator in the SCHS, and a spokesperson for the rights of people with disabilities, confirmed that self-advocates are a group of people with disabilities who can represent themselves and others, lead their countries and demand their rights.

She noted that the goal of the Self-Advocacy Unit in the SCHS builds a community of self-advocates in the region, and attracting people with different disabilities to talk about their challenges, and this will be possible by providing workshops on self-advocacy, its goals and aspirations.