“Teaching Sign Language” is a training workshop for students with disabilities and volunteers at Ain Shams University

Within the framework of the university’s vision to achieve integration among students with disabilities in the university community, and based on the interest in learning sign language and the search for mechanisms and methods for learning it, and to complete a series of training courses for employees and administrators working at Ain Shams University, the Education and Student Affairs Sector (the Disability Support Service Center at the University) organized in cooperation with the Social Solidarity Unit at Ain Shams University, training workshops were held to “teach sign language,” which is the way of communication used by people with disabilities (the deaf and hard of hearing) among university students and volunteers at the unit.

Under the auspices of Prof. Mohamed Diaa, President of Ain Shams University, Prof. Ghada Farouk, Vice President of the University for Community Service and Environmental Development Affairs, under the supervision of Prof. Salah Hashem, Advisor to the Ministry of Social Solidarity for Social Policies and General Coordinator of Social Solidarity Units in Universities, Prof. Rana Al-Hilali, Director of the Disability Support Service Center, Professor at the Faculty of Medicine, and Protocol Coordinator for Education and Student Affairs at the University.

Under the administrative supervision of Mr. Ibrahim Saeed, Assistant Secretary of the University for the Education and Student Affairs Sector.

The workshops aim to spread the culture of integration between students with disabilities and normal students at the university and the vision of the the Disability Support Service Center is to create a university community without barriers by providing a number of translators in cooperation with the Ministry of Social Solidarity to translate a large number of seminars, events and workshops to help and qualify them to integrate into a university community without barriers or obstacles they face, in addition to training a large number of administrators and employees, in addition to faculty staff, to facilitate communication and integration with students with hearing disabilities.

This came in the presence of Dr. Mustafa Al-Shahed, Deputy Director of the Center, and Mrs. Aya Wanis, head of the social solidarity unit at the university, Mr. Abdel Rahman Fawzi, Awareness Officer at the Social Solidarity Unit at Ain Shams University, and Mrs. Nermin Kamil, sign language interpreter and training coordinator.

Mrs. Aya Wanis began the workshop by referring to the goals of the Social Solidarity Unit at Ain Shams University, which are to focus on advancing the axis of awareness and volunteerism, providing services to students in various fields, and offering many training courses and courses.

She added that in the future, many courses will be offered, and that among the services provided by the unit is paying the fees of incapable students, people with disabilities, and students of Solidarity and Dignity, and providing compensatory devices for students with disabilities.

The workshop dealt with learning the letters of the alphabet and numbers from 1 to one million, as well as the days of the week, learning methods of greeting, distinguishing between colors, practical application of dialogue, and how to ask and respond.

A group of active volunteers in the unit and students from various colleges also participated in the workshop. On the sidelines of the workshop, a dialogue was opened with the students to answer their inquiries about volunteering.

It is worth noting that the training workshops continue for 8 weeks, with a lecture on Thursday of every week at 10:30 in the Republic Hall in the Republic Building in the university dormitory, to support students.