The Islamic University of Gaza has received funding from the British Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) for an international project entitled “Disabled Voices from Gaza – Narrative Methodologies with Media and Information Literacy (MIL) to Empower University Students with Disabilities in Palestine.”
Dr. Nazmi Abdel-Salam Al-Masri, an associate professor in the faculty of arts at the Islamic University of Gaza, worked on this project in collaboration with Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) and the University of Birmingham in the United Kingdom. The implementation of the project activities will start in October 2022, and it will last for 15 months.
The Islamic University of Gaza, therefore, is expanding international partnerships that aim at building the capacities and skills of teachers, students, and members of the Palestinian society, or at conducting scientific research or academic exchange in partnership and cooperation with European and international universities.
According to Dr. Al-Masri, the principal investigator, the project aims to train two teams of students with disabilities in the fields of skills development of narrative methodologies and the skills of media and information literacy, and these teams will transfer the skills and competencies they have acquired in these two fields to four groups of Palestinian university students in Gaza.
All participants will receive training from a team of British experts to support them develop their skills in narrating and disseminating their novels, stories, life experiences, and realistic, meaningful, clear, available information in multiple languages (Arabic, English, sign language, and Braille). And this will be achieved by developing their skills of using modern technologies and media, including social media in the context of Gaza that is categorized as a
context of conflict, challenges, and chronic crises.
The Islamic University’s team consists of Nesma Al-Ghoula, Coordinator of Disability and Integration Services Center in Community Service and Continuing Education Deanship at the Islamic University in Gaza, and Engineer Sharehan Al-Masri, coordinator of the project.
It is worth mentioning that Dr. Al-Masri is currently collaborating with British experts to publish a number of studies on Palestinian persons and students with different disabilities (visual, hearing and mobility). These studies are conducted in the context of highlighting the participants’ issues and enhancing their skills to ensure that they receive an education that is appropriate for their abilities and varied aptitudes, which in turn ensures that they can independently earn a living and enjoy a decent life.
In support of these efforts, the Islamic University and Birmingham University are taking part in “Disability under Siege,” a four-year international project that started in 2020, and is being carried out in collaboration with Birzeit University and the American University of Beirut.