ConnectHear interprets for the First Lady and launches ConnectHear application at Dubai Expo 2020

On 17th March 2022, ConnectHear was invited to attend ‘Pakistan — A progressive country towards inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities, held at the Pakistan Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai by The Determined Pakistan. The event was graced by Mrs. Samina Arif Alvi, the First Lady of Pakistan, who is a true advocate for Disability inclusion in the country.

On the day, ConnectHear announced the first-ever one-tap virtual sign language interpretation solution in Pakistan that is now available in 106 countries and has impacted the lives of thousands of Deaf community members. The application was very well supported by the members of the audience and personally appreciated by The First Lady as one of the remarkable innovations in the country for the progress of PWDs.

ConnectHear also partnered with Determined Pakistan as the official sign language interpretation provider and Ms. Azima Dhanjee, CEO/Co-founder, interpreted the entire event for the audience members. The First Lady appreciated the efforts and presented a token of appreciation to ConnectHear for its continuous support towards mainstreaming sign language in our society.

The event was also attended by Sheikha Dr. Hind Al Qassimi - a member of the royal family, ambassador of Sweden, WHO representative, and various disability leaders from the country. The event was organized by Mr. Adeeb Aijaz, co-founder of Determined Pakistan, who took the initiative to bring all the leaders on one platform.

Other Speakers of the seminar included

1. Hassan Muhammad Khan, Chancellor Riphah University

2. Adeel Aijaz, Co-founder of Determined Pakistan

3. Ibrahim Malik, Executive Director, Iqra University

4. Zaigham M. Rizvi, Chairman PM Task for Housing

5. Richard Geary, Founder, Deaf Reach Program

6. Dr. Syed Qaiser Anis, President PBPC, Sarwat Nasim Shah, MD Zaamin Group

7. Niaz Malik, Ex-Deputy CEO Zong

8. Muneeba Haroon, Director Operations NOWPDP

9. Salman Elahi, President, BINAE Welfare Association

10. Haseeb Abbasi and Ronak Lakhani, Special Olympics Pakistan – SS International Global Messenger

11. HS Umer Farooq

12. Sana Khurshid, Advocate for PWDs

We were truly honored to be a part of this initiative and excited to see the impact created by the combined efforts of all the organizations! Here is to a disability-inclusive Pakistan.