Enriching Perspectives And Learning At The Global Disability Summit
The Global Disability Summit is where representatives of various countries and stakeholders gathered to realise inclusion across the world. The 2025 edition was co-hosted by the International Disability Alliance (IDA) and the governments of Jordan and Germany.
We at The Butterfly were pleased to attend the numerous insightful sessions delivered by important stakeholders of various levels, with us viewing and participating in various forums and seminars in the conference between the 2nd and 3rd of April. After the powerful official opening ceremony, featuring former German chancellor Olaf Scholz, King Abdullah of Jordan and the IDA, where King Addullah highlighted the severe challenges faced by individuals with disabilities in conflict zones like Gaza, we attended insightful sessions on inclusive employment in the Arab Region and performance indicators and sustainability reporting alongside the Civil Society Forum which highlighted the importance of youth and children with disabilities.
Lastly, a personal highlight for us was catching up with inspiring friends and colleagues all around the globe who are committed to fostering inclusion in all facets of life. We hope to attend more events, both regionally and internationally to learn best practices and drive change.
A conference room with people sitting in the Global Disability Summit in Berlin, all watching a talk. Marilena taking a selfie with various attendees at the GDS in a conference room
Autism Awareness Month What We Were Up To
April 2nd is Autism Awareness Day, with the entire month being Autism Awareness Month. Both of these are significant occasions to raise awareness about autism, a neurodevelopmental condition related to perception of the world and socialisation and impact on functioning. Alongside awareness, it is also important to increase and foster acceptance of autism and autistic individuals.
Communications Associate Chris C. Dimal, who is an autistic individual went on the radio twice to raise awareness about autism, alongside spreading the message of The Butterfly and what we do as an organization in advocating for neurodiverse individuals and families. He was on air first at Talk 100.3 on 24 March, followed by an appearance on 3 April at Dubai Eye 103.8 on the Afternoon Show with Helen Farmer.
We also would like to highlight the efforts of Siemens Energy, who hosted a session on autism awareness during this month, where they invited over multiple guest speakers and organizations to talk about the various aspects of the autistic experience, from signs to parenting challenges, had various discussions and concluded it with an empathy walk.
Lastly, Chris also got featured on Khaleej Times in an article raising awareness about autistic adults and their experiences in the workplace, detailing their journey, challenges and how they dealt with them. We hope that this is just the start of more awareness and understanding for autism and autistic individuals.
Chris (right) and Helen Farmer (left, seated) posing for a picture at the Dubai Eye Studios
Accessibility At The May IEE Workshop
FASSCO, a healthcare hospitality company based in the UAE and Singapore hosted our fourth IEE workshop of the year, held on the 17th of April on the topic of accessibility and the various nuances within this vital pillar of both inclusion and sustainability.
Preceding the actual workshop, we had a briefing about the ‘Damj’ Awards, an incredible opportunity to recognize and commemorate inclusion efforts of various organizations in multiple contexts from Sara Al Bashar of the Department of Community Development. We then explored what accessibility is, what it looks like, the various parameters and statistics about it and why it is important to be proactive and considerate about accessibility, alongside quashing various myths and answering a variety of questions, all with wonderful insights and interesting discussions of both theory and practice.
Rounding off an already informative session was a presentation by Ivana Petrović, the I&D head from Accenture Middle East, who is our newest partner within the IEE, going into detail about how Accenture truly is a leader in accessibility and what the company does to propagate this necessity all around the world, leaving everyone with major insights into incorporating and facilitating accessibility for their organizations and operations.
We look forward to seeing you all in the next upcoming IEE workshop held at Accenture Middle East on the 29th of May
Left to Right – (1) Sara Bachar from the DCD speaking in front of a projector screen in the Health Point Hospital auditorium about the Damj Award , (2) The Butterfly’s staff and attendees standing in front of a screen and posing with various company logos and inclusion signs in the Health Point Hospital Auditorium
Leading With Inclusion: Our Training To M42’S Leadership
We conducted a training session on the 30th of April for M42 Health, an esteemed member of our Inclusive Employment Ecosystem (IEE) and its wide range of assets about inclusive leadership. Leaders explored how inclusion drives long-term organizational success and gained cutting-edge insights into the challenges and needs they may encounter. .
After introducing them to The Butterfly, the IEE and what we do, we talked about how what it means to be a leader has evolved, the various traits of an inclusive leader and then provided an overview of the benefits and challenges of inclusive leadership. It was an engaging session where we shared ideas and insights on inclusive leadership and what the journey may look like.
The session also featured interactive discussions, quiz and a roleplay where we got to see how inclusive leadership is crucial across several departments within an organization. It was a privilege to deliver this session, and we look forward to continued collaboration with M42 in advancing inclusive leadership
The Butterfly and attendees signing ’The Butterfly’ sign in front of a screen at an auditorium space in Cleveland Clinic
W3C website