Expo Centre Sharjah is once again set to host the region’s only exhibition dedicated to visual disability technologies from February 11 to 13, 2020.

Displaying innovations and technologies in the field of specialized aids for the blind and the visually impaired, the fourth Sight ME will be organized by the Emirates Association of the Visually Impaired at Expo Centre Sharjah for the fourth consecutive time.

With the World Health Organization reporting that at least one billion out of the existing 2.2 billion visually impaired people could benefit from proper treatments and assistive technologies, the biennial Sight ME becomes a significant event for both the public and private sector entities working for the cause of the visually impaired and the blind in the country and the Middle East region.

H.E. Saif Mohammed Al Midfa, CEO, Expo Centre Sharjah, stressed that the centre is very keen to provide all types of facilities to visually impaired persons through Sight ME, the largest of its kind in the Middle East. Supporting this segment falls within our priorities and is in implementation to the directives of HH Dr Sheikh Sultan bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Supreme Council Member and Ruler of Sharjah, to empower and support the visually impaired.

Al Midfa added: “This year’s edition will be a perfect opportunity to shed light on the most important global solutions and innovations made to serve people with visual disabilities and exchange experiences and views on issues and needs of people with visual disabilities. It will showcase modern technologies and devices that help improve their lives and integrate them into their societies, and will bring together a group of international experts and many associations and bodies from inside and outside the UAE”.

According to the WHO, people living with blindness and severe vision impairment who cannot be treated can lead independent lives if they can access rehabilitation services such as optical magnifiers and reading using Braille, smartphone wayfinders and orientation and mobility training with white canes. Sight ME brings such educational, mobility and low vision devices and equipment and services to the needy and for those working for their cause such as blind schools, hospitals and social organisations.

“The Emirates Association of the Visually Impaired has been working for nearly four decades to fully integrate the visually impaired into the society. Sight ME was launched to augment our services and bring innovations from across the world to the doorstep of end-users in the region. This time, we are introducing several new features, which, I am sure will enhance the stature of the show and at the same time be of great help to the visually impaired,” said Mr. Adil Alzamar, Chairman of the Association and Head of the Organizing Committee.

For his part, Marwan Al Mashghouni, Director of Government Relations at Expo Centre Sharjah, said: “The centre spares no effort to develop every new edition of Sight ME. This is to maintain its leading position as the only platform in the region that provides ideal opportunities to help health and social care institutions and schools for the blind, and deliver the best services for blind and visually impaired people”.

For the first time, the event will be featuring a Vision Clinic, where the visually impaired get medical consultations by Cleveland International Clinic, a main participant of Sight ME.

It will also launch a photography competition, offering a unique platform for sight-impaired photographers who use sound, touch, memory, and other sensations to compose their images to showcase and test their skills.

Tesla, American automotive and energy company, will be displaying its self-drive car at the event, raising the prospects about the potential of the self-drive technology that could aid the visually impaired to drive independently.

Sight ME will also feature workshops and seminars, which will focus on issues faced by the visually impaired and will offer a perfect opportunity to exchange views and experiences.