
El-Mandara beach in Alexandria, Egypt's first beach for the visually impaired ( Photo Courtesy: Official Facebook Page of Alexandria Governorate )
Alexandria Governor Mohamed El-Sherif inaugurated on Saturday the beach for the visually impaired, allocating an area for it at the People of Determination beach in Mandara.
“This beach comes as a continuation of efforts made by the Governorate of Alexandria to provide best services for people of determination, in order to achieve principles of community integration and create a decent life for them,” El-Sherif said during the opening.
It is noted that the designated part of the beach for the blind at the People of Determination beach contains paths in the seawater with entries that aid movement and swimming by identifying signs through touching markers and under close supervision of follow-up teams.
According to recent statistics issued in 2020 by the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS), there are nearly 20 million Egyptians with special needs nationwide.
In May 2022, the Senate reconvened to discuss legislative amendments for the fund regulation law for supporting the disabled (Law 200/2020), which was drafted and submitted by majority party Mostaqbal Watan (The Nation's Future).
In December 2021, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi directed the government to establish a special fund for Egyptians with special needs during a ‘Differently-Abled’ event in Cairo that was held in celebration of the International Day for Disabled People.
El-Sisi asked Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, the Senate, and the House of Representatives to draft legislation that would allow donations to the fund.
In October, the House of Representatives approved a legislative amendment that toughens penalties for people bullying the disabled.
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