ABU DHABI // An Emirati woman has overcome her blindness and scaled heights in a career that many sighted people would find hard to achieve.
Mahra Ali Al Dhaheri, who was blinded by glaucoma at the age of five, has never let her handicap or social stigma overcome her ambitions.
The public relations officer at Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority works a full five-day week. She completed a master’s degree in Business Administration last year and now wants to pursue a PhD.
Ms Al Dhaheri’s struggle started when she was nine and asked her parents why they had not sent her to school.
“When I was a child, I couldn’t understand the fact that I was blind,” she says.
“By the age of nine, I asked my family why I was not going to school and that’s when I realised my challenge. None of the schools wanted to take a blind child.”
She said in those days there were no schools for the blind people in Al Ain.
After requests to the Ministry of Education, a school for the blind was opened in 1992.
“I am happy that I was instrumental in setting up the first ever institution of the kind in Al Ain and a beneficiary at the same time,” Ms Al Dhaheri said.
“It’s a step forward that I took for my fellows to change their outlook towards the outside world and make them realise that they will always be deemed as ‘special children from God’.”
Ms Al Dhaheri now lives in Abu Dhabi with her mother.
Despite the obstacles she faced, she was determined to secure a job at the authority.
“I studied hard. I came to know about the ADFCA vacancy for special-needs people when I was still doing my graduation.”
She uses voice software on her office computer that helps her to work accurately. She also uses a Braille-capable computer when required.
“I made an impression during my four-month probation and got my first job in January 2010.
“I went through a very challenging phase because the probationary period coincided with my graduation.
“But, for me, a challenge was no longer a challenge, as they were always meant to be tackled,” she says.
Since then there has been no looking back.
As the senior public relations officer, she now handles events, meetings, conferences and media conferences.
She attributes her achievements to a family who motivated her and gave their support.
“We have a close-knit family, always supportive and indulging in open-minded healthy discussions,” Ms Al Dhaheri says.
Her achievements are not restricted to the UAE – she became a Braille teacher certified by the United Nations in 2000.
Her achievements were recognised by the Abu Dhabi Award for Excellence in Government Performance in 2013.
She has suggested training programmes for her colleagues on how to deal with people with special needs and has also prepared Braille copies of the Quran.
anwar@thenational.ae
