Dubai’s eye-catching Mohammed bin Rashid Library (MBRL) is opening up all its facilities with the latest technologies and tools to help integrate and empower people of determination in the public sphere and promote their capabilities.
Besides offering a unique collection of books and resources that they can both read and listen to, MBRL is making great efforts, most notably by adjusting its building and facilities in accordance with the Dubai Universal Design Code, which includes providing wheelchair access, Braille signs on public utilities, audio and visual alarm systems, toilet alarm devices, and emergency evacuation chairs on all floors of the library building among others.
MBRL’s people of determination information centre is a groundbreaking initiative dedicated to support and empower the visually impaired. There are over 2,000 Arabic and English books in Braille covering literature, history, intellectual topics, and references. Among this valuable collection are several Arabic titles of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, including Flashes of Thought and Mission to Mars.
The children’s library, on the ground floor, houses a unique collection of purposeful stories gifted to MBRL by the Los Angeles-based Braille Institute, Jordan’s Dar Ibsar, and Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Charitable & Humanitarian Foundation.
The library has also made use of cutting-edge technology to cater to the special needs of the visually impaired to help them enjoy a unique and seamless public library experience. High-end specialised devices are provided to ensure optimal enjoyment of services, along with several supporting devices such as Braille printers, magnifiers, and reading gadgets. There is also a sensory pod offering a calming and relaxing space for children and adults with autism. Further, MBRL has included Braille in cataloguing books across the information centre and the children’s library for easy book identification.
As part of its commitment to support Dubai’s Vision for the inclusion and empowerment of people of determination, MBRL is always keen to host various workshops as a long-term strategy to empower the staff and develop their skills in communicating and interacting with people of determination. In this context, MBRL organised a workshop for its staff, introducing them to the basics of sign language and how it facilitates communication with the hearing impaired, along with a practical demonstration of Arabic letters and their corresponding signs, followed by practical group training between employees and people of determination with hearing impairment.
The workshops are conducted as part of the library’s commitment to social responsibility in terms of supporting and implementing the ‘National Policy to empower People of Determination’, a nation-wide initiative for an all-inclusive society, launched by HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum.
