Under the initiative ’Sharjah Museums Are Accessible for All’

Sharjah Museums Department Organizes Summer Camp For Individuals With Special Needs For The First Time

As part of the Department’s educational programme launched under the initiative ‘Sharjah Museums Are Accessible for All ’, Since the programs were specifically designed for the children’s with special needs in a manner that helps them get themselves acquainted with Sharjah Museums’ collections and exhibitions.

The SMD’s Department of Interpretation and Education will organize, for the first time, a summer camp for individuals with special needs titled ‘Story Sack’, which will take place at the Sharjah Aquarium from 1-3 July.

The camp, presented in both Arabic and English, is designed for children with special needs aged 7 years and above. On the first day of the camp, the participating children will be taken on a tour of the aquarium and then each child will compose his own story. On the second day, they will make their own puppets, props, and stage accessories according to each one’s story, and on the last day they will use what they made to tell their stories.

The SMD’s Interpretation and Education Department allocated also the last Saturday of each month to conduct an educational family workshop, led by education specialists from the Community and Accessibility Services, for the parents of children with special needs, The Department will be presenting a family workshop titled ‘The Palace’ on Saturday, 30 June

‘The Palace’ workshop will begin with a tour of the touring exhibition of the world-famous19th century British artist Owen Jones, hosted at the Sharjah Museum of Islamic Civilization. The exhibition draws upon treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum (V&A) collections to tell the story of Owen Jones, a highly versatile architect and designer whose explorations of Islamic design contributed to the reshaping of the 19th century British design.

The participants will get the opportunity to gain a deeper insight into Islamic motifs as inspired by the architecture of the Andalusia Alhambra Castle in Granada. The participants will also get the chance to enjoy making artwork inspired by the palace using mosaic pieces and other materials.

Commenting on the programme, Alya Burhaima, the manger of the Department of Interpretation and Education at the Sharjah Museums Department, said, “The Department’s interest in organizing this summer camp and allocating the last Saturday of each month for the families of individuals with special needs stems from our belief in the potential capabilities of these special people, who need our added attention and support. It is also in line with our eagerness to provide them with the opportunity to integrate more fully into society and to raise the levels of awareness and acceptance in the community at large. Through creating entertaining, enriching, and educational events and activities we are providing a platform on which different segments of the community can interact and find common ground and thus increase community cohesion.”

Mrs. Burhaima remarked, "Our eagerness to organize this day stems from our belief in the potential capabilities of these special people, as well as the importance of integrating them into community museum activities and promoting awareness among community members about the possibility of utilizing their capabilities in serving the community.” She added that it is the right of people with special to have access to training activities in an entertaining and educational manner.

She also commented that it is only when the surrounding community adopts a civilized and positive perspective towards people with special needs that they can fully access their human rights.

Mrs. Burhaima noted that the programmes and workshops were carefully designed after in-depth studies so as to help develop the skills of children with special needs. And that the programmes were presented by highly efficient and vastly experienced educational specialists.

She invited families to register early for this free camp and workshops and praised the efforts and role of the local media in supporting these programmes. This family workshop for the parents of children with special needs is the sixth of its kind since the start of 2012.

Of note, SMD’s Interpretation and Education Department has, since the beginning of this year, started to organize educational workshops specifically designed for children with disabilities from various centres for children with disabilities, such as among others the Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services, and the Al Mashaer Centre for Children with Special Needs. 

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