Hamad International Airport (HIA) has opened the ‘Shafallah Center Lounge’, a special handling lounge, in partnership with the “Shafallah Center”, one of Qatar Foundation for Social Work’s (QFSW) affiliated centres.
The inauguration was attended by Amal Abdullatif Al Mannai, Chief Executive Officer of Qatar Foundation for Social Work and Laalei Abu Alfain, Acting Executive Director of the Shafallah Center as well as Saeed Yousef Al Sulaiti, Vice President Security and Abdulaziz Al Mass, Vice President Marketing and Corporate Communications at Hamad International Airport.
The newly opened lounge is located on concourse C at the airport terminal and is catered for departing and transferring passengers with special needs, including those with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
This initiative is a part of the MoU between HIA and Shafallah Center to provide additional services to passengers with special needs and ensure their comfort and convenience while travelling. The initiative also focuses on passengers within the autism spectrum who face unique challenges while travelling and navigating through an airport environment. The special handling lounge is equipped with assistive technology, an innovative technology that provides calming and relaxing sensations for those with ASD.
Officials of HIA and Shafallah Center, during the event. (source: Peninsula Qatar)
The lounge features educational, rehabilitative and recreational interactive devices and equipment that aim to promote, integrate and empower people with special needs in the community while providing them with assistive technologies and solutions that give them a seamless and stress-free experience when travelling through HIA.
The deployment of the sensory room aids in the development of sensory skills by integrating audio-visual and sensory effects such as sound, image and touch to help people with special needs meet their needs for communication and self-adjustment.
Engr. Badr Mohammed Al Meer, Chief Operating Officer at Hamad International Airport stated: “Our goal is to provide all our passengers with the same level of satisfaction when it comes to experiencing HIA’s services and facilities. By widening access for our passengers by tailored assistance for those with special needs and training our staff to cater to them better, we fulfil our commitment to making HIA the airport-of-choice for all passengers.”
Airport staff will be available for on-ground support and have received specialized training from experienced Shafallah Center staff on how to provide special care and assistance to passengers with special needs including those with ASD. Those who want to access this facility can approach the airport staff who will facilitate the same.
Acting Executive Director of the Shafallah Center, Laalei Abu Alfain said: “The centre takes pride in this joint achievement as it oversaw the process of equipping the lounge with the latest technology, ensuring that passengers with disabilities will have seamless and comfortable travel experience. The lounge will provide passengers with special needs with several features including a sensory room for the children with autism spectrum disorder and electronic carpets to provide children with many games and activities to help them spend their time at the airport in a useful way.”
Shafallah Center has previously provided a specialized program to train ground handling staff at HIA on how to provide special care and assistance to passengers with special needs, including those with Autism.
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