KARACHI: On International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Facebook had collaborated with Family Educational Services Foundation's (FESF) Deaf Reach, one of Pakistan's only branch networks of schools catering to the needs of the community with hearing disabilities, to adapt Facebook's We Think Digital online safety resources for hearing-impaired students within the Deaf Reach school network.

To mark this important day and announce this partnership, Deaf Reach held an online roundtable discussion in collaboration with Facebook on 'Empowerment through digital literacy and connectivity'. The conversation revolved around what can be done to improve the experience of people with disabilities online so that they can harness the full potential of the internet for their benefit.

While addressing the attendees at the discussion, Begum Samina Arif Alvi said that it was pivotal for the society to provide a level-playing field for differently abled people to make them valued citizens.

"The public and private sector along with civil society in the country had joint responsibility for facilitating access of people with disabilities to opportunities of education, healthcare and employment," she added.

The partnership between Deaf Reach and Facebook will involve adapting Facebook's We Think Digital Learning Resources for hearing-impaired students within the Deaf Reach school network. These learning materials focus on online safety and will help to build a community of responsible digital citizens equipped with skills for a digital world.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020