DUBAI: Dubai Customs (DC) staged a joyous sports day along with fellows of Dubai Club for the Disabled. DC officials, personnel and staff with disability partook in a series of sporting activities which included ping-pong, boccia and wheelchair basketball. The events were held at DC Headquarters in Port Rashid.
The Director of Dubai Customs Ahmed Mahboob Musabih joined the open day’s activities as he played ping-pong with members of Dubai Club for the Disabled. He also cheered the players in a friendly wheelchair basketball game in which Saeed Ahmed Al Tayer, Executive Director of Policies and Legislations Division was an active player on board. Meanwhile, DC employees and members of Dubai Club for the Disabled were enjoying the Paralympic game boccia in a heart-warming atmosphere.
HE Ahmed Mahboob hailed this initiative and reaffirmed DC’s active involvement in activities and tournaments held for people with disability across the country. He also stressed upon DC’s devotion to reaching out for and seeking to engage persons with disability as part of its organizational values.
He said Dubai customs was committed to cherishing and supporting people with disability, expressing his pride in their acclaimed sporting achievements in global parasport tournaments.
“The marking of this day comes in line with “My community… a city for everyone” initiative launched in 2013 as per the directives HH Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of the Dubai Executive Council, with the aim of empowering the disabled within an inclusive environment to maximise the level of communal awareness and encouraging these segments’ integration and engagement in the community,” Musabih explained.
Worthwhile noting that Dubai Customs had exempted goods and materials used by people with disabilities from Customs duties in accordance with the Cabinet decree issued on the matter. Duty exemption covers educational and medical tools, machinery, power wheelchairs, cars manufactured especially to be used by people with physical disabilities, crutches, and devices for the hearing, speech and visually impaired. “We have recently announced two fresh initiatives to further facilitate Customs services for the elderly and persons with disability,” said Musabih.
Under the first initiative, a Dubai Customs employee will serve customers with disability right at their vehicles at the specially allocated parking lots across Customs Centers. The second initiative, named ‘At Your Service’, provides a fully equipped vehicle serving as a mobile customs service office, in order to reach out for the elderly and persons with disability at their own residences, without the need for them to be physically present at DC Centers for any Customs related matters.
Dubai Customs’ Corporate Social Responsibility teams did a great job to ensure an optimal flow of the event by arranging the proper equipment and ensuring a safe environment for Dubai Customs guests.
