DGDA Launches Project to Encode Diriyah History in Braille
28 November 2023The Diriyah Gate Development Authority (DGDA) has teamed up with the National Association of the Blind “Kafeef” to launch an initiative for the translation of Diriyah’s history into Braille.
The project is set to help visually impaired individuals gain a deeper understanding of Diriyah’s history through as efficient and effective a written medium as the general population enjoys. Paper copies of the content printed in Braille, a reading system they use to learn and communicate on a daily basis, will help strengthen participants’ emotional connection to their rich Saudi history and heritage.
The project reflects DGDA’s commitment to the visually impaired community as a whole and represents an opportunity to empower them with a greater sense of parity while engaging with the humanitarian values at the heart of DGDA.
Phase one, which runs until the 15th of October, includes a course on Diriyah’s history for young men and women from “Kafeef.” Supporting course materials were translated into paper and digital formats by the organization, including content on the year 850 – the year that Diriyah was established – as well as the Turaif district and the history of the Saudi state. Participants with the highest scores have since been selected to teach within the program itself. Men and women from “Kafeef” were selected based on the level of their interest in Saudi history and their Braille skills.
DGDA is committed to working with “Kafeef” to provide every means of support to participants, including paper or digital training materials and scheduled lessons for registered participants, with an official certificate available upon completion of the entire course.
The course is expected to foster a competitive, knowledge-based atmosphere that will help bolster the connection visually impaired individuals have to their heritage, strengthen their sense of belonging to their country’s past, present, and future, and instill a sense of community and collective investment in the country’s progress.
