03 Dec. 2016
Doha, Qatar

On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Sasol, the international integrated chemicals and energy company, announced its support, as Accessibility Partner, for the 2017 edition of Project Qatar, the 14th International Construction Technology and Building Materials Exhibition.

Through this partnership, Sasol with its initiative “Accessible Qatar”, aims to raise awareness on the important issue of accessibility in Qatar and to influence project developers towards making their existing and future venues accessible to the disabled community.

Project Qatar is the leading construction exhibition in the country organized by IFP Qatar, a member of IFP Group (International Fairs & Promotions).

During the exhibition, Sasol and Project Qatar will introduce a two-day “Accessible Qatar Conference” on 8 and 9 May 2017, where high-profile speakers from various industries will be shedding light on the crucial topic of accessibility and the importance of its incorporation in all of the existing venues and upcoming projects.

Moreover, the “Accessible Qatar Awards” for the best accessible venue in Qatar will take place on 9 May 2017. This awards ceremony will recognize the venues that are the most accessible to the disabled community. There will be a panel of judges made up of disabled individuals and Accessible Qatar initiative partners. The evaluation for the venues will be based on the official accessibility audit report and user submitted ratings and reviews that are found on the Accessible Qatar application and website.

Accessible Qatar is a smartphone application and website, the first of its kind in the region, providing the disabled community instant and reliable information about the accessibility of public and touristic locations in Qatar. Combining expertly-audited data with user-submitted reviews and ratings, Accessible Qatar gives the disabled community and tourists the confidence to visit different accessible destinations. Moreover, having accessibility information publicly available on Accessible Qatar will encourage venues to make necessary modifications in support of accessibility for all patrons.

Commenting on the partnership, Phinda Vilakazi, President of GTL Ventures at Sasol said, “Sasol is proud to be the Accessibility Partner in the 2017 edition of Project Qatar. Upon launching Accessible Qatar to the disabled community, Sasol identified the urgency to shed light on the importance of accessibility to the game changers and decision makers in the construction and real-estate sector. Through our partnership with Project Qatar, we are confident that we will able to influence various project developers into incorporating accessibility in their upcoming infrastructure plans, in line with the Qatar National Vision 2030. Sasol will strive to contribute to promoting an inclusive society and The State of Qatar as an international accessible destination.”

In collaboration with the Qatar Chamber of Commerce, Project Qatar will also organize specialized construction related workshops, offering attendees a comprehensive education program with classes emphasizing industry issues and trends, management and applied technology, among others.

George Ayache, General Manager of IFP Qatar said, “Project Qatar is honored to join forces with Sasol to promote accessibility. This initiative will certainly contribute and provide opportunities for people living with disabilities. Our main objective from this partnership is to improve the day-to-day lives of those people and make sure we encourage accessibility in popular destinations. We are confident that Project Qatar is the right platform to fulfill the mandate of this social program.”

Accessible Qatar builds on Sasol’s ongoing Definitely Able CSR initiative. The concept for the initiative grew out of an engaging session called “Finding the Accessible Doha” held during the Definitely Able Conference in March 2015, where disabled individuals from around Qatar, the region and the world discussed inclusion for people with disability as full members of society.

Sasol has developed the Accessible Qatar initiative in partnership with The Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Qatar Tourism Authority, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy, Mada, and Shafallah Center, and in close collaboration with Qatar Social & Cultural Center for the Blind, and The Qatari Center of Social Cultural for the Deaf.

The Accessible Qatar app is available for download free of charge on Apple Store, Google Play Store, Windows Phone Store and on the website (www.AccessibleQatar.com). More information can be found on the Definitely Able social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram), where users can keep tabs on the latest developments.