A new book for visually impaired students detailing the inspiring role of the UAE’s leadership has been published in braille by the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi).
‘Our Sheikhs, Our Role Model’, has been produced by MAKTABA, the library management department at DCT Abu Dhabi, in cooperation with the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination (ZHO), represented by its Department of Care for the Blind.
The book features students’ creative writings on topics related to the principles and values of the UAE’s leadership. It covers various topics about national identity, as well as students’ ideas inspired by the leadership’s vision, principles and creativity.
Through the initiative, which is part of the ninth edition of the Little Writer in the Big Book competition, MAKTABA aims to enable visually impaired students to participate in the competition and deepen their knowledge of the history of the UAE.
HE Naema Al Mansouri, Member of the National Federal Council and Director of the ZHO’s Department of Care for the Blind, said: “Issuing a braille edition of ‘Our Sheikhs, Our Role Model’ will enrich the National Blind Libraries with additional resources, while enabling students to participate in the Little Writer in the Big Book competition to stimulate their creative writing skills.”
Shaikha Mohamed Almehairi, Library Management Department Director at DCT Abu Dhabi, said: “We thank our partners for their valuable contribution to this initiative that expands reading capabilities. Over its past editions, the Little Writer in the Big Book competition has inspired children and teenagers’ writing and creativity by offering them an ideal platform to unleash their storytelling skills. In this year’s edition, MAKTABA widens its target audience by giving those students with visual impairment greater access to books and inspiring them to learn more about our nation’s history and values.”
MAKTABA will announce the winners of the ninth edition in the Little Writer in the Big Book competition on 6 February 2022, before posting the stories and creations of the entrants on the Digital Library’s website. The winning stories will be compiled and printed in one book, which will be distributed to libraries and public and private schools across Abu Dhabi.
