Bahrain will join on December 3 the rest of the world in marking the International Day for Disabled Persons under the theme 'Protecting the disabled is a society's obligation'.

The activities, organised by the National Institute for the Disabled (NID) in association with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs and several government and private organisations, include more than 88 events, varying from lectures and seminars to workshops and entertainment.
Most activities would bring together the disabled from all centres and societies for the handicapped.

"Providing welfare and rehabilitation services for the handicapped is not a one-day job but an on-going process to enable individuals with physical and mental limitations to lead normal lives," the NID vice-president, Hanan Kamal, said, adding, "We are trying our best to focus on the suffering and obstacles facing the disabled to achieve their development aspirations in terms of better educational rights and job opportunities."

She urged private and governmental organisations to join forces in providing more services and facilities for the disabled, especially funding projects related to establishing more rehabilitation centres for children with special needs.
"The celebration is part of a plan to underscore all issues related to the handicapped and encourage the disabled to improve their social skills," Kamal said.

The programme will start today with a get-together at the Bahrain and Kuwait Rehabilitation Centre. The main objective of the event is to encourage the disabled to be more active in society.

The NID will conduct its annual newspaper competition, covering different age-groups. The contest is in the form of questions about disabilities. Twenty to 30 winners will be given prizes.

A training course on sign language will be held from December 12 to 15 at the Shaikhan Al Farsi Total Communication Centre.
A series of lectures will be held at almost all public schools on different types of disabilities and the importance of encouraging the disabled to lead normal lives.

The celebration focuses on ways to orient parents, teachers and those involved with disabled children to the philosophy and new trends in early intervention, recognising new developments in the field of early intervention and learning the ways and methods used in programmes of early intervention in the country.

A one-month visit programme to important places in the country is being conducted for disabled students from different organisations for the handicapped