2016 Annual Report

Vision 2030

We will also enable those of our people with disabilities to receive the education and job opportunities that will ensure their independence and integration as effective members of society. They will be provided with all the facilities and tools required to put them on the path to commercial success.

Our Vision

Enable employers to include persons with disabilities as equally effective members of the workforce.

Our Mission:

Provide guidance, advice, training, and best practice to employers to recruit, retain and include employees with disabilities, through inclusive work environment and favorable policies.

Our Objectives:

 Awareness: Raise awareness on mutual business benefits of including persons with disabilities in the workforce.

 Advisory: Advise, train and share best practice on how to become a sustainable disability inclusive employer through an appropriate work environment and organization culture.

  • Advocacy: Advocate for persons with disabilities’ right to work and their inclusion with all relevant stakeholders, including government and non-government organizations.

Our Services

  • Educational lectures & workshops
  • Work environment advisory
  • Employment services
  • Learning Resources
  • twork Meetings
  • Media Campaigns
  • Publications & Newsletters

Message from our Chairman:

On 31 July 2012, an idea was born that envisaged creating a network of employers, motivating and enabling them to include and employ persons with disabilities in their company cadres. That idea became reality and the network was officially launched in Riyadh on 9 March 2014, under the auspices of His Excellency Minister of Labor, and in the presence of His Excellency Minister of Social Affairs along with several public officials and business owners. Since its inception, Qaderoon Network expanded and grew, thanks to God then to the efforts of our partners, sponsors, advocators and ambassadors with disabilities.

Today, we are honored to present our annual report packed with the accomplishments of Qaderoon Network that include forums and workshops all over the Kingdom in partnership with the Ministry of Labor and Social Development (MLSD), the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), the Chambers of Commerce and members of Qaderoon. These events aim is to raise awareness on the barriers, the opportunities, and the proper way of interacting with persons with disabilities, and provide training to businesses by international and local experts and specialists to develop the concept of inclusion in their work environments.

In 2017, the network will aim to:

  • Continue work on the “Mowaamah” program for disability supportive work environments under the auspices of (MLSD) and encourage more companies to join the program.
  • Raise awareness among the biggest number of stakeholders from the public and private sectors as well as from NGOs. The network has developed plans for this purpose and has started to implement them.

Together we are able,

Amr M. Khashoggi

Chairman of the Board of Managers

Qaderoon’s Achievements in 2016

Awareness:

  • Raise awareness on the Importance of including persons with disabilities in the society and the workforce

2016 itnessed the participation of Qaderoon in many events held throughout the Kingdom as a strategic partner of many organizations seeking to raise awareness on the importance of including persons with disabilities in the society and the workforce. These events include: participating in a number of exhibitions in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, that aim, directly or indirectly, to tackle barriers that persons with disabilities may face in society and at work, those in which to enable communication with all segments of society, and highlight the efforts of the Ministry of Labor organization in including persons with disabilities. also, to encourage the private sector to ensure productive employment that benefits both parties, and leverage policies, regulations and programs provided by the Ministry’s organization to support employment methodologies inclusive of persons with disabilities.

Among those:

  • Social Responsibility: Present and Future exhibition was held on 20 April at King Faisal Conference Hall, King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah.
  • “Tawteen” Job Fair was held on 27-28 April at Hilton Jeddah with the participation of several prominent companies that provide employment opportunities and nationalization for both males and females, regardless of their age group and educational qualifications.
  • The 3rd Saudi International Exhibition for persons with disabilities (DIAA 3) was held on 5-7 April at Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Center in Riyadh with the participation of “Qaderoon” under the umbrella of the Ministry of Labor organization (ministry and sister institutions).
  • Awareness Forums

Based on two Memorandum of Understandings between “Qaderoon” and the Chambers of Commerce of both Jeddah and the Eastern Region, three awareness forums were organized in Jeddah, on April 18 and November 30; and in Dammam, on April 25. The forums discussed the role of the companies in employing persons with disabilities and were held in collaboration with the “Tawafuq” program for the employment of persons with disabilities at both (MLSD) & (HRDF).

These forums aimed at raising the awareness of businesses and their HR representatives on the importance of providing accommodation and supportive services in the work environment for their employees with disabilities, and the role of the HR departments in providing supportive procedures in employing persons with disabilities.

Participants in these events also discussed the barriers facing job seekers with disabilities. “Qaderoon” highlighted valuable elements to be considered to develop inclusive work environments, including all the aspects related to the company like HR policies, Recruitment procedures, Premises accessibility, Communication inclusion, and other key elements that ensure developing a supportive work environment for persons with disabilities.

The same stakeholders also cooperated to organize two awareness forums in Jeddah on May 30, and in Dammam on December 5 targeting persons with disabilities under the title “Your Job: Your Rights, Your Responsibility”. The two forums tackled many key messages including the role of policies and procedures in supporting the employment of persons with disabilities in addition to (HRDF)’s support programs such as the Telework Program that aims to encourage private sector companies to recruit persons with disabilities who are able to work.

  • Celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities

Qaderoon network celebrated the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on the 3rd of December and launched an awareness campaign entitled “Overcoming Barriers”. The campaign assures the commitment of all segments of the society in accepting disabilities as a type of human diversity at a time when most persons with disabilities are stereotyped and face negative attitudes and lack of easy access to information. In this context, it is important to note that societies flourish and continue by creating more supportive and inclusive societies that fully embrace disability.

The campaign focused on highlighting barriers facing persons with disability in the society and at work, promoting the removal of those barriers instead of focusing on the disability. For this purpose, messages were broadcasted throughout December on social media in addition to a short video with the hashtag #aDay4All.

In synchronization with the campaign, “Qaderoon” also launched a Disability and Media Coverage Guide in collaboration with the International Labor Organization (ILO). The guide was launched at a press conference attended by several journalists and social influencers. The conference discussed the role of media in empowering persons with disabilities and raising their social issues in a positive and efficient manner.

The guide contains general guidelines on the importance of creating a link between the disability cause and the human rights, as well as using a positive description of persons with a disability when bringing up their issues, and avoid depicting them in a stereotyped manner that makes them look either pitiful or as persons with unusual achievements. The guide calls for equality by being inclusive and removing the social and environmental barriers.

“Qaderoon” was pleased with the positive interaction of the media with the campaign and with the participation of its members in promoting the campaign.

In synchronization with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, His Excellency, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Development honored “Qaderoon” members for their commitment to enabling persons with disabilities and for the efforts and achievements made to include, support and employ persons with disabilities in their companies as productive and effective employees. In the meeting held in December, His Excellency reiterated the Ministry’s concern and efforts in finding effective employment opportunities for persons with disabilities.

  • Awareness in Media.

“Qaderoon” Network deployed a total of 17 campaigns in 2016 targeting all the segments of the society in general and employers. These campaigns focused on raising awareness about the latest policies and programs related to persons with disabilities employment, including the (MLSD) definition of persons with disabilities along with the “Accommodations and supportive services in the work environment” table.

“Qaderoon” Network also had coverage with newspapers, TV and radio stations to introduce the readers, viewers and listeners to the Network’s vision and mission, and to raise awareness about the benefits of employing people with disabilities and the importance of developing inclusive workplaces for them. The following news was covered in local newspapers during 2016:

  • The Opening of “My Fingerprint” (Basmati) Exhibition for Artists with Disabilities.
  • Persons with Disabilities Employment: The “Panda” Experience
  • During their visit to the Nesma Embroidery Center: “Qaderoon” Network discuss best practices, barriers, and solutions to employ persons with disabilities.
  • Eastern Region’s Chamber of Commerce and Qaderoon Network collaborate in an awareness forum about persons with disabilities entitled “Your Job: Your Rights, your Responsibility”.
  • “Almarai” Celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities and trains its employees to enhance communication with other employees with hearing disabilities.
  • Tamer Group celebrates the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
  • Qaderoon Network Members honored by (MLSD)
  • “Qaderoon” Network visits Savola Group to learn about their experience in employing persons with disabilities.

Advisory:

  • Training Qaderoon members on accessibility and positive interaction with persons with disabilities.

In collaboration with a specialized trainer, and Network ambassador, Mr. Khaled Al-Hijri, “Qaderoon” launched a series of workshops entitled “Interacting with Persons with Disabilities at Work”, which were attended by around 300 employees of “Qaderoon” members in Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam, and extended from April until December.

These workshops focused on adopting general concepts when interacting with persons with disabilities, and provided various detailed guidelines related to the positive interaction depending on the type of disability: visual, hearing or physical. There was great engagement from attendees of these workshops who raised several issues and examples to clarify these concepts.

(HRDF) “Tawafuq” team held two workshops in April and May for “Qaderoon” members in Riyadh and Jeddah. The workshops tackled the issue of recruiting persons with disabilities and the journey of the job seeker with disability, highlighting different guidelines and procedures. The workshops emphasized the role of the job analysis in successfully recruiting, assessing the employee’s performance, in addition to determining the required accommodation for him/her.

In March, “Qaderoon” organized a workshop entitled “Accessible Communication” hosted at Nesma Embroidery Center. The workshop targeted the specialists working in the PR and social media fields among Qaderoon members, who oversee ensuring the successful communication with their employees and clients with disabilities by facilitating easy access to the company’s websites, advertising campaigns, visual design and events. This workshop was facilitated by the UK-based Business Disability Forum (BDF), and ended by clarifying the role of trainees in implementing these important standards to support the communication with the employee or client with disability.

In November, “Qaderoon” also launched a series of workshops attended by around 60 trainees on sign language, in collaboration with Jassarah Training Center. Attendees of “Qaderoon” members were trained on basic sign language for HR terminologies.

  • Sharing Experiences and Learning the Best Practices in Employing Persons with Disabilities

Panda Retail Company hosted the first meeting of “Qaderoon” Network on 21 February in Jeddah in a visit to a branch of “Hyper Panda” that included employees with hearing and cognitive disabilities. Visitors got a chance to see the employees with disabilities at work doing their daily tasks. Some employees explained to the visitors how they complete their tasks and communicate with their colleagues. At the end of the tour, visitors went to the headquarters of Panda Retail Company to attend a series of presentations highlighting Panda’s journey in employing persons with disabilities, in addition to a presentation by (MLSD) on the role of policies in protecting the rights of employees with disabilities at work.

On September 27, “Qaderoon” Network members visited Nesma Embroidery and Tailoring Center, a subsidiary of Nesma Holding, to learn about the Center’s experience in employing women with different disabilities in the production and storage lines. Nesma Holding shared its experience in recruiting women with hearing disability at the Center and the development of its work environment, as well as the role of accommodations and supportive services in enabling its employees to perform their tasks, like having supervisors trained on using sign language and relying on written instructions and codes to organize the production flow and properly categorizing textiles and threads. The visit also included another look at the latest updates in the policies of (MLSD) and available support programs. It also included a discussion about barriers and best solutions to overcome them to achieve inclusion in different workplaces.

The Network meetings for 2016 were concluded with the visit of Savola Group on December 12 and learning about the experience of the Group in including persons with disabilities and its support program, “Makeen”.

During the visit, Savola shared its experience in employing persons with disabilities, and providing an inclusive work environment through providing fully accessible premises and work accommodations. Successful employees with disabilities in the Group shared their stories, and benefits of having a supportive environment in increasing their work productivity.

Engineer Mukhtar Al-Shibani, of The Global Alliance on Accessible Technologies and Environments (GAATES), presented the principles of universal design and its importance in enabling users in accessing, independently and without discrimination, any place or information using various communication means.

Advocacy

  • Advocating Policies and Programs that Support Employment of Persons with Disabilities

The partnership between “Qaderoon”, and (MLSD) & (HRDF), played a huge role in raising awareness amongst employers and job seekers with disabilities. The mentioned parties collaborated in several awareness campaigns and events to encourage the private sector to effectively employ persons with disabilities and benefit from policies, systems and programs provided by the Ministry to support recruiting mechanisms and the employment of persons with disabilities, including:

  1. Participating in an awareness campaign on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
  2. Representing the private sector in exhibitions with both the Ministry and Fund that included:
  3. The Network’s meeting and the visit to Panda Retail.
  4. The 3rd Saudi International Exhibition for People with Disabilities (DIAA 3).
  5. The Network’s meeting and visit to Nesma Embroidery.
  6. The Forum “The Role of Businesses in Employing Persons with Disability” at the Chambers of Commerce of both Jeddah and Eastern Region.
  7. “Your Job: Your Rights, Your Responsibility” session in the Chambers of Commerce of both Jeddah and the Eastern Region.
  8. The Network’s meeting and visit to Savola Group.

“Qaderoon” was keen, in its participation, on supporting the interests of all stakeholders, businesses and persons with disabilities, in line with the vision of “Qaderoon” to include persons with disabilities in the labor market.

  • Qaderoon’s Active Participation in ILO’s International Forum

With a view to share experiences and benefit from the international experiences in including persons with disabilities, the International Labor Organization’s Business & Disability Network (ILO GBDN) invited “Qaderoon” Network to attend the 4th National Network’s meeting held on October 12, 2016 in Geneva, Switzerland, entitled “The Future of Work: Challenges and Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.” The national networks from various countries shared their experiences and best practices in raising awareness about the mutual benefits of recruiting persons with disabilities and developing work environments that are more supportive.

Khalid Sindi, Qaderoon Executive Manager, together with Tarik Ismail, Savola Group's Executive Director, CA, Sustainability & Board Secretary, attended the meeting to acquire more understanding of the barriers and opportunities for persons with disabilities, along with the technological developments that can provide fulfilling work opportunities for them.

  • Effective Memorandums of Understanding and Cooperation.

At a time when KSA is seeking to strengthen the public-private partnerships in line with its Vision 2030, “Qaderoon” Network established several partnerships with various sectors, including:

  • Signing an MoU with the Eastern Region’s Chamber of Commerce, April 3.
  • Signing an MoU with Jeddah Municipality, June 21.
  • Signing an MoU with King Abdul Aziz University, October 18.
  • "Mowaamah” System Project for Disability Inclusive Work Environments

In 2015, (MLSD) assigned “Qaderoon” Network to develop "Mowaamah” system for Disability Supportive Work Environments. The "Mowaamah” system aims at providing employers with the required knowledge skills, and tools to develop a disability inclusive work environment. In 2016, several initiatives were launched to improve the system in preparation for its launch in 2017. These initiatives were: