Designs by students and pupils with disabilities that shine a special light on Eid Al Fitr celebrations have been selected to feature on Amazon’s online gift cards for the festival. A glowing lantern with an Eid Mubarak message has been painted by a student from Dubai’s Rashid Centre for People of Determination in Dubai. The second work capturing the UAE custom of families celebrating Eid in a park was created by a group of eight pupils from the centre working together. <i>The National</i> met the artists whose work is available online at <a href="https://www.amazon.ae/s?bbn=15149951031&rh=n%3A15149951031%2Cp_n_special_occasion_browse-bin%3A15183937031&dc&qid=1649757977&rnid=15183914031&ref=lp_15149952031_nr_p_n_special_occasion_browse-bin_3">Amazon.ae/giftcards</a> Zainab Chaudry Naveed, a young artist with developmental delays, is thrilled her individual work featuring a bright lantern was picked. Ms Naveed, 20, said yellow is her favourite colour and the “shining light” drew her to paint the orange lantern. “I like to paint. For Eid we celebrate with family. I like colours — to put on henna — and I love the colour yellow,” said Ms Naveed. Those attending the art class have a range of conditions, including cerebral palsy, autism and sensory, learning and physical disabilities. More than 200 pupils and students at the Dubai centre took part in the Amazon initiative, with their designs displayed across a vibrant art studio filled with pink and red hearts. “Makes me proud,” is how Cara Swanepoel, 10, described adding a coffee-coloured backdrop to the card she worked on with other pupils. It shows families exchanging Eid gifts in a park. Speech software loaded on to a tablet attached to their wheelchair helps Cara and others with conditions such as cerebral palsy communicate. An assistive technology device tracks Cara’s eye movements as she looks at emoticons to select a reply and respond to questions. To develop the group artwork, teachers spent time talking to the pupils, aged between nine and 13, to understand what Eid meant to them. They said it was about celebration, light, giving and being with family. Caregivers help some pupils grasp pencils as they mark an outline or guide them as they wield brushes to complete their paintings. Hind Rasheed, Amazon’s head of public relations and communications for the Middle East and North Africa, said collaborating with the Rashid Centre helped the Eid collection embody values of inclusivity. <i>“</i>We were very excited to see their unique perspective and artistic interpretation of Eid come to life,” she said. “The design created by Zainab Chaudry Naveed immediately caught our attention, with its vibrant colours and bold shapes.” She described the second card created by an entire class as “not only a beautiful representation of their creativity and talent, but also a testament to the power of coming together to create something meaningful”. Sandra Ugalde, head teacher at the Rashid Centre, said everyone was excited to be part of the Eid effort. “The enthusiasm is amazing to watch,” she said, seated in an office filled with colourful paper butterflies created by pupils. “It helps build their self-esteem when they see their work displayed. “It’s difficult for these children, they may need support with hand movements, they need to understand what is needed and why.” But Ms Ugalde said each child contributed, “as it was an opportunity for everyone to participate”. “By doing this campaign with Amazon, we are able to showcase the skills of our children," she said. “It’s an opportunity for our children to show what they can do. For the wider community, it encourages a greater awareness of the abilities the students have and not their disability.” The Eid cards are a regional initiative by <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/2023/01/17/amazon-overtakes-apple-to-reclaim-title-of-worlds-most-valuable-brand/" target="_blank">Amazon</a> that will also feature work done by artists from the Aleradah Organisation for people with disabilities in Saudi Arabia. Cards designed using the distinctive black and white art of <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/uae/heritage/2022/09/21/from-canvas-to-computer-screen-emirati-artist-abdulla-lutfi-turns-to-crypto-art/" target="_blank">Abdulla Lutfi</a>, an Emirati artist on the autism spectrum, were released last year and continue to be available on the Amazon e-gift card collection. His designs showing people in the UAE greeting each other for Eid can be viewed alongside the two new works from the Rashid Centre students and pupils. “This is the true purpose of our Eid eGift card initiative, to help raise awareness around the homegrown, diverse, incredible and inspiring talent that resides in the UAE,” Ms Rasheed said.
