FUJAIRAH // Nadia Al Barouti has defied the odds to achieve her goals and show the world that deaf women have much to contribute.
The 43-year-old Emirati struggled at first with her inability to hear but through classes for the disabled she took as a child she grew in confidence.
She has since gone on to show her creative side by winning many painting competitions and in helping others by setting up the first deaf women’s association on the east coast.
“Communication plays a major role in our life and being deaf had affected the way I communicated with others at the beginning,” said the Kalba native. “But I managed to create ways to communicate without saying a word and now technology and smartphones have made my life easier.
“At first I couldn’t understand what people wanted, especially my family. But necessity is the mother of invention, so I created my own sign language and my parents taught me lip-reading when I turned 5.
“Slowly we managed to communicate.”
At 6, Ms Al Barouti joined a disabled class and learned to write. It was this skill that opened the door to her hidden talents.
“I drew my first painting when I was 6 at school. I have always been very fond of handicrafts, mixing colours and painting and my father’s hobby was the reason behind that. He is an antiques collector and owns a whole bunch of old paintings, tools and handicrafts.
“I took the painting home and my parents loved it, and since that day, my talent grew and I became more professional.”
Ms Al Barouti credited the major role her parents, especially her father, had played in her achievements.
“Without his encouragement I wouldn’t be able to fulfil my dream and affect other deaf people in society,” she said.
“I started participating in drawing competitions when I was 12 and won my first prize. That encouraged me to continue what I love most, to prove that people with disabilities can be creative and artistic.”
Ms Al Barouti has attended several workshops in different parts of the Arab world, such as Qatar and Morocco, which made her more confident in her ability and source of inspiration to others.
She has overcome many challenges but admits that she needed the support of the community. That is why she always tries to make people more aware of how to deal with the disabled.
“Nobody taught me proper sign language and I couldn’t find people that teach or even understand it. I couldn’t go to college because of that issue. There were no classes provided to disabled students.
“I also struggled to get my high school degree because I couldn’t join a regular school, so I studied at home.
“The community should be more prepared to accommodate us and fulfil our needs. There are hundreds of us out there who need the help and support of the community. Thankfully, they have started to be more aware nowadays.”
In 2004, Ms Al Barouti started working with the Kalba police as a clerk.
Last year, she established the first deaf women’s association in the east coast, aiming to help and encourage other deaf women to work and be part of society.
“I contacted nine of the ladies that I met on different occasions, ladies who live in Dibba, Khor Fakkan, Kalba and Fujairah, to start an association to support and encourage them to work and earn money.
“Each of them has a skill or two and they started to participate in exhibitions and rely on their own selves financially. Their mentality started to change for the better.”
Ms Al Barouti now wants the association to have its own centre for meetings and workshops to educate and help others.
“We need the Government and community support to have a permanent place that would serve us, a place where we can display our handicrafts, artwork and other products, and to provide awareness workshops to help others.”
rhaza@thenational.ae
