Dubai cares about those with special needs irrespective of whether they are citizens, residents or visitors. The UAE Guardian’s Association provides social and psychological support for parents and guardians of those with special needs. Click here to view a list of the training courses organized by the association.

In November 2006, the UAE Federal Government passed the UAE Disability Act (Federal Law No.29/2006) to protect the rights of people with disabilities and special needs. This law stipulates that UAE nationals with special needs have the same right to work and occupy public positions. The UAE ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on the 19th of March 2010.

Special facilities at airport and hotels
Dubai Civil Aviation Authority has dedicated personalized services at Dubai Airport for special needs passengers, while an increasing number of public areas and hotels now have access and facilities with specially adapted rooms and facilities for people with special needs.

Many major hotels in the city have adapted rooms and facilities especially for the disabled. These hotels include City Centre Hotel, Crowne Plaza Hotel, Hilton International Dubai, Hyatt Regency, Jebel Ali Golf Resort & Spa, Jumeira Beach Hotel, JW Marriott Hotel, Metropolitan Palace Hotel, Oasis Beach Hotel, Radisson SAS Hotel - Jumeirah Beach, The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai and Renaissance Dubai Hotel.

Special needs vehicles and parking
RTA-affiliated Dubai Taxi Corporation has allocated a number of specially designed vans for those with special needs. The vans are equipped with lifts to carry passengers inside the van along with wheelchairs for comfortable and secure ride of handicaps inside the vehicles. The RTA has also exempted those with special needs from Salik charges and has ensured that the design of the Dubai Metro project meet the requirements of those with special needs. People with special needs residing in Dubai as well as tourists and visitors can submit an online application to the RTA together with a medical certificate showing the disability and whether it is permanent or temporary so as to get a special free permit for special needs car-parking. To get a special needs driving license, see this life event. Also see other ways in which RTA caters to those with special needs.

Special needs schools
While the government has always supported special needs education, it is the special needs schools like Dubai Autism Center, Dubai Center for Special Needs, Al Noor Training Centre and Rashid Paediatric Therapy Centre, which have given a spark of hope to children with special needs. See ' going to a special needs school' life event.

Dubai Club for Special Sports
The Dubai Club for Special Sports is devoted to build and look after those with special needs from the physical, psychological and intellectual viewpoints by helping them take part in sports, cultural and social activities and prompting them to make the best use of their leisure time. The club provides its members with many services which can be viewed on its website.

Application for Disabled from Dubai Police
The Application Form for People with Disabilities is a social service provided to Dubai Police employees and their disabled children, enabling them to merge with society. The application can be followed up through the same service.

El Kayt employment for job-seekers and employers
The El Kayt employment programme is an initiative by the Community Development Authority for the employment of people with disabilities, by empowering and integrating them within a society that respects everyone and believes that people with disabilities are entitled to the same rights and privileges that other citizens enjoy. ‘El Kayt’ is the Arabic name for a lifeboat – a small boat attached to a bigger ship. Lifeboats, though small can be a life saver during an emergency. In the same way, a person with a disability may be very effective in society if given an opportunity.

The El Kayt employment programme aims at providing people with disabilities the same rights and benefits as other citizens, empowering them in productive employment which is appropriate for their academic qualifications and their physical capabilities in leading institutions in the public and private sectors, and to provide appropriate training to enhance their personal skills and raise awareness about disability and related topics within the community. Job seekers and potential employers are encouraged to contact CDA for jobs and to offer employment for people with disabilities respectively.

Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services
The Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services (SCHS) is an independent charity providing care and rehabilitation services for the disabled in the UAE. At the same time, SCHS strives to bring the causes of disability to a minimum through early intervention, social rehabilitation, empowering those with special needs and maintaining their basic rights to education, rehabilitation and employment, thereby enabling them to merge more easily into their society. Within this framework, SCHS provides many services for those with special needs through its affiliated branches and centres.

If you are an individual with special needs and looking for a job, click here to fill in a form to this effect. Also, if you are an employer and interested in employing or training people with special needs, please fill in the form in this link.

If you have suitable skills and enough time and are interested in allocating part of your time to voluntary work for helping those with special needs, you can fill in a volunteering form for this purpose.

Sharjah-based Al Thiqah Club for Handicapped, the first club for the handicapped in the UAE, provides integrated services to the handicapped at the cultural, social, rehabilitation and sports levels.