The recipients of the 3rd King Salman Award for Disability Research, to be felicitated at the 6th International Conference for Disability and Rehabilitation at Al-Faisal University in Riyadh, were announced Monday. The conference, to be held under the patronage of Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman, will honor the winners in five disciplines. The event will be held on Dec. 4-6. The nominations were filed according to precise criteria represented by the size of the influence and classification of the scientific awareness publishing the scientific output. The criteria also included professional contributions or social initiatives undertaken by the applicant that serve and extent to which scientific output contributes to supporting the field of disability at the national and global levels. The General Secretariat of the Award said 370 applications were received from candidates from 46 countries. The Scientific Committee of the Award shortlisted applicants for the branches of the Award. There were 15 candidates in the field of universal access, 42 candidates in the branch of health and medical sciences, 28 candidates on the branch of educational and psychological sciences and 31 candidates in the branch of applications of technology in the field of disability. The Scientific Committee held 13 meetings during the first six months after the announcement of the opening of nominations to select the winners. Yale University's Dr. Elena Grigorenko shared the Health and Medical Sciences in the field of Disability Award with Dr. Samia Joseph Khoury of Multiple Sclerosis Research Center in Lebanon. Dr. Grigorenko won for developing many special diagnostic tests for people with disabilities, and its profound contributions in genetics, and Dr. Khoury for establishing the first multiple sclerosis specialized center in the Arab region according to the interdisciplinary methodology. In Rehabilitation and Social Sciences, King Saud University's Dr. Ahmad Bin Haider Al-Ghadeer won. He received the first position in performance efficiency of Medical and Pharmaceutical Research chairs, for 2012, and the Wall of Fame certificate as one of the top 50 intellectual leaders in the world in the field of Higher Education for 2020. The Educational and Psychological Sciences Award was also shared between Prof. Peter Paul, Ohio University, and Prof. Deny Menghini, Bambino Gesù, Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy. Prof. Peter won for his profound contributions in special education administratively, technically, and research for nearly 40 years, and Prof. Deny for her global clinical expertise in special education and behavior. The Technical Department in the field of Disability Award was picked up by Prof. Cuntai Guan, Nanyang University, Singapore. He has developed many advanced technical systems to serve people with disabilities. The Universal Accessibility Award was given to Riyadh Airports Co. — King Khaled International Airport — Terminal 5. The airport has completed external, internal, and complementary communication and safety system, and created an appropriate environment for people with disabilities in accordance with international standards.
