Saudi Arabia must establish more professional programs and rehabilitation centers for the disabled in order to exploit the abilities of those with special needs in both the public and private sectors, said Leo Kooyman, treasurer of the board of Workability Europe, the largest organization providing employment services to people with disabilities in Europe. Speaking to Saudi Gazette on the sidelines of the ceremony honoring 100 male and female graduates of the training and employment program of the Savola Center for Empowering Persons with Disabilities on Tuesday, Kooyman said that the Kingdom has conducted research on providing services to the disabled, but must now decide how to implement these services. Kooyman, who is a consultant for the Savola Center, said that “the responsible governmental sectors have to increase services, such as transportation, for special needs people as soon as possible”. “Most special needs people not only in the Kingdom but all over the world suffer from the lack of adequate public transportation. This is one of the most important services that must be provided for them,” he said. “Unfortunately, most special needs people spend half of their salaries on transportation, so if the Kingdom established special public railways or other forms of public transportation for them, this would be a tremendous help. We can also include special voice systems in public transportation and elevators to help special needs people reach their destinations easily without facing any problems,” he added. He said that it is his experience that many special needs people are creative and have unique talents, adding that they must be guided so that their talents can be used to help in the development of their country. “We must first change the attitude of special needs people to themselves in a positive way and then change the community's attitude towards them,” he said. Kooyman told Saudi Gazette what elements should be included in training programs for people with special needs. “Programs should focus on educating special needs people according to the kind of disability they have along with creating job opportunities and individualized training programs for them. We need to let them choose whatever job they want and guide them on how they can reach their goals, instead of creating social barriers and psychological obstacles in their life,” he said. Kooyman said he was convinced that if Saudi Arabia increased the number of its disability rehabilitation programs, it would become one of the leaders in this field, as the Kingdom has a sound economy and is working around the clock in all areas of development.
