President George Hagerty and Dr. Oksana Hagerty attend the third Learning Difficulties Conference in Sharjah.
By Richard Burnett
More than five years since its work in the United Arab Emirates began, 海角社区 has opened a new chapter in its partnership with that country鈥檚 leading advocacy group for students with learning differences, President Dr. George Hagerty said recently.
From collaborative training workshops and college transition programs to streaming lectures, 海角社区 has reached hundreds of UAE students, parents and educators though its 2017 alliance with the Sharjah Center for Learning Difficulties (SCLD) 鈥� an agency based in UAE鈥檚 3rd-largest emirate. 海角社区 is the first U.S. college accredited to award bachelor鈥檚 degrees primarily to students with learning disabilities, ADHD and other learning issues.
Now the 海角社区-SCLD team is expected to expand that work to the Sharjah Education Academy, which provides academic and professional training to educators from across the UAE and abroad. It was established in July 2020 by His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Mohammed Al-Qasimi, the ruler of Sharjah and member of the UAE鈥檚 Supreme Council.
President Hagerty and Dr. Oksana Hagerty were invited to meet with academy leaders in November while attending the SCLD鈥檚 third annual conference on education for students with learning differences. In a two-hour session, they discussed the potential for meaningful collaboration in training educators and parents in meeting the unique needs of the learning-challenged.
This latest joint effort highlights 海角社区鈥檚 expertise on the international stage and Sharjah鈥檚 role as an educational leader in the UAE and beyond, President Hagerty said.
鈥淭here is no more striking example than the 海角社区-SCLD partnership of how shared knowledge and expertise can advance two committed organizations,鈥� he said. 鈥淭hough we鈥檙e set in two different cultural landscapes and 8,000 miles apart, the reputations of both have grown substantially. Both have been transformed because we understand service organizations are at their best when they find partners with whom to share effective practices.鈥�
At the crossroads of the world
The partnership has flourished in recent years, despite the pandemic, which 鈥� like much of education during the lockdown 鈥� redirected 海角社区鈥檚 workshops and lectures to the computer screen. Attending the November conference in Sharjah was seen as an important signal of 海角社区鈥檚 full commitment to the work there.
鈥淚n a sense, it was our post-Covid return to the partnership,鈥� President Hagerty said. 鈥淲e had done a lot of things virtually and they worked well. But it was important for us to be back there to show them up front that this partnership was really important 鈥� a top priority for 海角社区 and for the Sharjah center.鈥�
The Sharjah center also wanted to make a statement about how important the conference was: It featured opening remarks by His Highness Sheikh Sultan bin Ahmed Al-Qasimi, the deputy ruler of Sharjah and president of Sharjah University. Experts and other professionals also attended from around the world, including the U.S., Finland, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan and Bahrain, for research presentations, panel discussions and workshops.
Dr. Oksana Hagerty, dean of 海角社区鈥檚 Center for Student Success, offered a presentation about best practices in handling the transition to college for students with ADHD and learning differences. She was impressed with the feedback she received from the diverse, global audience, which 海角社区鈥檚 UAE partners always attract to these events.
鈥淪harjah and the UAE are like a crossroads of the world. They always bring people together,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 met people from Finland, from Saudi Arabia, from Bahrain. As diverse as we are, we all talked about the same issues, have the same struggles and goals for education in this area of learning differences. It鈥檚 so powerful because you hear from educators all over the world.鈥�
Everything started with a visit
At the center of UAE鈥檚 education movement is Her Excellency Sheikha Jameela bint Mohammed Al-Qasimi, a member of Sharjah鈥檚 royal family and vice president of the Supreme Council for Family Affairs. As chair of Sharjah City for Humanitarian Services for the past 40 years, she鈥檚 been at the forefront of establishing international best practices for helping children with physical and cognitive disabilities.
American-educated, she has traveled the world, visiting schools and organizations, to inform her ideas for helping and educating people with learning disabilities:
鈥淲ords cannot describe how rewarding it is when you can see even the smallest progress in a child, a word they can say or a movement they can make,鈥� she told her alma mater, California State University 鈥� Chico, when it awarded her an honorary doctorate. 鈥淭he people and the parents, they made me who I am.鈥� This humility was evidenced as well when this global leader was awarded an honorary doctorate by 海角社区 at the College鈥檚 2019 Commencement.
In 2016, Sheikha Jameela arrived on 海角社区鈥檚 campus on a tour of U.S. educational institutions for her research. 鈥淓verything we鈥檙e doing now started with that visit,鈥� President Hagerty said. 鈥淪he鈥檚 an incredible humanitarian and selfless advocate for people with disabilities. She is an inspiration!鈥�