July 2020 | Page 11

WE ABLE Committed to local regulations and W3C WAI guidelines Countries across the MENA region have minimum quotas on the percentage of employees with disabilities, and Zain is committed to fulfilling such quotas and investing in the training and further development of affected individuals. Zain strives to be an equal opportunities employer, engaging people with a range of disabilities including visual and hearing impairments and physical immobility. Individual operations are implementing initiatives to assist staff with disabilities and at Zain Jordan for example, all emails can be converted from text to speech in order to be accessible to the visually impaired. Zain Jordan and Iraq websites have implemented features to align with W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) guidelines, making them accessible to people with disabilities. All other Zain operations are to follow. Taskforce Updates What is the role of the WE ABLE taskforce? • To conduct awareness sessions to combat biases and to inform external and internal stakeholders about people with disabilities • To actively promote and address issues that relate to people with disabilities • To ensure accessibility of premises and digital accessibility • To conduct training sessions on disability etiquette Impact of WE ABLE on operating companies The program has assisted operations by raising awareness about people with disabilities while creating a supportive environment for them. among employees with disabilities. Zain’s activities under the WE ABLE umbrella Group and Kuwait • Held successful talks that raised awareness on assistive technologies as well as web accessibility • Created a WE ABLE logo to use across all communications • Web accessibility course to WE ABLE taskforce members • Working on digital accessibility for all websites and apps • Partook in virtual trainings relevant to disability inclusion • Included a sign language interpreter in Zain’s latest Eid ad Why are WE ABLE and disability awareness important? WE ABLE is important because society at large and corporates in particular have a social responsibility to offer equal opportunities and to treat people fairly. This outlook is aligned to Sustainable Development Goals 4, 8 and 10, which are focused on treating everyone without prejudice. People with disabilities offer a more diverse outlook and have great potential to offer organizations. There are often lower turnover rates and greater loyalty In Kuwait, WE ABLE has successfully raised awareness on assistive technologies as well as web accessibility for people with disabilities 9