:: Prince Sultan bin Salman, the King Salman Center for Disability Research (KSCDR) board chairman, highlighted on Wednesday the importance of the 5th International Conference for Disability and Rehabilitation in April.

“This conference has gained exceptional importance under the patronage of King Salman,” Prince Sultan bin Salman was quoted as saying by Dr. Sultan Al-Sudairi, KSCDR board of trustees adviser, during a press conference.

During the conference, to be held on April 1-2, 123 working papers and 44 scientific posters will be presented, with 54 delegates from 18 countries as speakers.

Prince Sultan said that King Salman had supported the four previous conferences on disability research.

Ahmed Al-Yahya, KSCDR director general, told Arab News that the KSCDR aimed to raise awareness about international efforts to deal with disability. “The conference will also give an opportunity for us to hear from foreign disability experts regarding their experience in rehabilitation,” he said.

Al-Yahya said that the “conference will also enable us to share what we have done in Saudi Arabia to deal with disability and what we’re going to do in the next few years.”

“We have achieved a lot of success in this field in the past, as shown by our project on pre-birth screening and universal accessibility guidelines,” he said.

Dr. Abdulrahman Al-Suwailem, vice president of the Association of Children with Disabilities, underlined the significance of the conference. He said the studies, specialized scientific research and disability research to be presented were the most important means of addressing the issues of disability.

Prince Sultan bin Salman, president of the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage