Empowered: An Initiative to Promote Educational Inclusion and Foster an Inclusive Environment in Deir Al-Balah

The Access for All network launched a new initiative titled Empowered at the Women’s Program Center in Deir Al-Balah, in the Middle Area of the Gaza Strip, from September 29 to October 1, 2025. The initiative featured active youth participation and was implemented in cooperation with the center’s management and staff.

This effort falls within the framework of the broader project, “Access for All: Enhancing the Autonomy and Inclusion of People with Disabilities in the Gaza Strip,”which is implemented by the Social Developmental Forum in partnership with the Medical Aid for Palestinians Association – MAP.

Fostering Inclusion in Educational Spaces

The concept for Empowered stemmed from the youth’s conviction that genuine inclusion begins with understanding, and that awareness is the first step toward building an inclusive educational environment that honors human diversity.

The initiative centered on a series of interactive and practical activities, including training for service providers and awareness workshops for students at the center. This was complemented by implementing accommodation adjustments within the learning space to facilitate access and participation for all children.

The Empowered initiative aimed to help build an inclusive educational environment that enables everyone to learn and participate without discrimination. This was achieved by enhancing the competencies of the center’s staff and service providers in concepts of inclusion and the rights of persons with disabilities, alongside raising community awareness through distributing informational brochures that outline appropriate terminology and respectful concepts for interacting with people with disabilities.

Initiative Activities: Awareness and Practical Application

Over three consecutive days, the Access for All team implemented a series of high-impact activities. This included six interactive awareness workshops for children and adolescents over two days, reaching 159 male and female students aged 10–16.

The workshops addressed the concept of the rights of people with disabilities, the importance of respecting diversity, and the use of language free from bullying or stigma. The children participated in visual activities, interactive games, and open discussions that reinforced a spirit of equality and respect. The sessions concluded with feedback reflecting a newfound awareness and a more equitable perspective toward their peers with disabilities.

The initiative also included a training session for educational staff and service providers, targeting 17 members of the Women’s Program Center staff and teachers. The training focused on concepts of inclusion and comprehensive education, as well as methods to facilitate the participation of people with disabilities in educational activities.

Furthermore, the initiative leaders carried out a series of physical accommodation adjustments to the center’s educational space. These included installing ramps to facilitate mobility for people with physical disabilities, as well as placing clear directional signage throughout the corridors and facilities.

The initiative concluded with the distribution of 450 informational brochures within the center and its surrounding area. The brochures outlined appropriate terminology for interacting with people with disabilities and promoted messages encouraging respect for human dignity and the use of inclusive language.

Tangible Impact and Widespread Engagement

The Empowered initiative achieved a profound and tangible impact, reflected in the positive shifts in awareness and behavior within the center and the local community. Service providers and teachers expressed significant satisfaction with the training and its content, noting that it equipped them with practical tools applicable in their daily classrooms.

The participating students demonstrated remarkable engagement throughout the interactive workshops. Some expressed this through simple yet deeply meaningful words. Student Sami Al-Sultan shared, “I learned that if I see a person with a disability who asks for my help, I must help them and not refuse.”

Student Dalal Baraka said, “I learned that we call them ‘people with disabilities,’ and we must not bully them and should help them.” Her colleague Mariam Abu Al-Deeb added, “I learned that we are all similar and no different from each other, and I will teach my friends what I learned.”

Meanwhile, Salah Ghurab conveyed his impression by stating, “I learned that it is inappropriate to laugh at people with disabilities, and I loved the workshop so much.” This reflects the deep impression the initiative left on the children, helping them understand the meaning of respect and diversity in a practical and simple way.

Towards an Inclusive Educational Environment

The Empowered initiative represents a significant step forward in the efforts of the SDF and the A4A network to promote inclusion and awareness of the rights of people with disabilities. The initiative’s true impact lies not merely in the numbers reached, but in the positive shift in the awareness and behavior of children, teachers, and the community—a shift toward a more inclusive society capable of embracing all its members with dignity and justice.

Hala Hamdan, one of the initiative’s youth members, stated: “This was a rewarding experience that left a clear mark on the awareness of students and the school community regarding the concepts of inclusion and acceptance.” Meanwhile, Mus’ab Abu Samra noted: “Our initiative embodied our belief that education is a right for all. By empowering teachers and raising awareness among students, we were able to turn inclusion into a tangible reality that fosters acceptance and belonging within the educational environment.”

Initiatives by Access for All

The A4A network has launched a series of initiatives being implemented over several months across all governorates of the Gaza Strip. The work is concentrated in shelters and displacement camps and targets diverse groups, with a primary focus on people with disabilities.

These initiatives address several areas, including cultural, social, awareness-raising, and psychological aspects. They seek to enhance community awareness of the rights of people with disabilities, affirm societal solidarity, and empower the effective participation of youth. The participating youth received intensive prior training and presented their initiative proposals before a selection committee chose the final projects to be implemented.