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As an initiative to serve their community and to put into practice their engineering education, a team of five students from Ajman University’s College of Engineering took up the challenge of serving children with special needs. The objective of the project entitled, A Gift of Independence, is to integrate physically challenged children into mainstream society by educating, empowering and equipping them with modern gadgets. Three electrical engineering students, namely Shahin Basiratzadeh, Masoud Dorrikteh and Mateen Tahseen, along with biomedical engineering student, Yasmine Saoud and architectural engineering student Yossr Ali Abou Elnour have worked on various educational, social and technological projects to cater to the needs of physically challenged individuals. The project was conceptualized and directed by Eng. Tazeen Sharif. Phase 1
AUST team collaborated with two organizations in Sharjah; Manzil and Sharjah Autism Center. The services the team provided include training children and young adults on basic reading-writing skills, self-management, personal grooming, speech therapy, computer skills, money management, etc. The strengths of special needs children were looked upon and polished through workshops so that they feel more confident and develop a sense of pride. Vocational training workshops were held to empower them with skills that can help them land adequate jobs and secure more independence. These activities included painting, photography, MS Office training and use of internet, telephone conversations, flower arrangement, chocolate wrapping, playing musical instruments and preparing for job interviews. AUST team trained special needs children through vocational training workshops. It also conducted tech-training workshops for teachers and students. The teachers were trained to efficiently use tablets and their applications in teaching special needs children.
Over the past 8 months, AUST team assisted in training six special needs students who were able to secure full-time jobs working as call center operators, data-entry officers, photographer and drummer. Those students and their families were extremely delighted with this gift of independence. This initiative by AUST students was highly praised by prominent international organizations, namely UNICEF-Dubai, which formally recognized AUST students’ contribution to training and integrating challenged individuals into mainstream society. Phase 2
To take this initiative a step further, AUST team developed an In-house Support Services System. The purpose is to provide convenience to physically challenged individuals by minimizing motion within their home or office. Features of this system include controlling appliances like lamps, air-conditioners, door locks and sliding curtains. A Windows-based mobile application was developed and interfaced with the hardware elements. In addition to these controls, the challenged individual is provided with a user-friendly menu to request for assistance, call a supervisor and send emergency notifications to a caregiver. A tracking feature was developed to ensure the safety of the challenged individual when on outdoor trips. The location of the challenged individual can be tracked by GPS. This system is free from any unsafe elements, as it just requires a Windows phone to make use of all the listed features.
In this regard, a hands-on training workshop was conducted to introduce special needs children, parents and staff to the gadget and present its features. The project was implemented and tested at Manzil and was well received. “Now mom can feel less worried about me”- a 12-year-old special needs child warmly remarked.
The staff and students at Manzil were excited to have such modern technology at their disposal. The project was presented to and highly appreciated by Lt. Col. Faisal Mohammed Al-Shimmari, Chief Information Security Officer at Abu Dhabi Police GHQ. The successful implementation, testing and positive feedback has boosted the team’s morale to further develop the system.
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