Under the auspices of Umm Al-Qura University, in the honorary presence of the Acting UQU President, Dr. Hani Ghazi; the Dean of the College of Education, Dr. Ali Matrifi; the Vice-Deans of the College; and the Heads of Departments, the College of Education, represented by the Special Education Department, celebrated the International Day of People with Disability. The celebration was held on Thursday, 6 Rabi` Al-Thani, 1440 A.H. in Al-Zaidi Festival with the participation of more than 30 governmental and non-governmental organizations in addition to a good number of volunteers. During the celebration, participants offered dozens of consultations to families of people with special needs and provided disability services such as educational, vocational, and support services, including occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and speech therapy. Moreover, they provided medical services targeting people with disabilities and their families.

Acting UQU President, Dr. Hani Ghazi, thanked the attendees and stressed the importance of providing services for people with disabilities and their families. He said that the university, represented by His Excellency the UQU President, is in the service of the special needs community.

The Head of the Special Education Department, Dr. Abdul-Hadi Al-Dhiyabi, delivered a speech in which he clarified the importance of participating in such events and raising the society's awareness about the concept of disability. He also urged the community to serve people with disabilities through cooperation between families and specialized centers, and the provision of services and training suitable to them to enable them to be integrated into the society. He also mentioned that the prevalence of disabilities is increasing, which should be addressed with the provision of training and rehabilitation services and productive cooperation between the families and special education facilities.

At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Hani Ghazi honored the special needs champions who won gold, silver, and bronze medals in Asia and the Arab world. He also honored those who supported and participated in this event, which was attended by more than 1000 visitors and was covered by Saudi TV, the UQU Media Center, newspapers, and social media.