Baghdad: The Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs has announced its commitment to tackling the educational and health challenges faced by students with hearing impairments.

According to National Iraqi News Agency, Undersecretary Huda Sajjad recently held a meeting with Ismail Musa, Director General of the Administrative, Financial, and Legal Department at the Commission for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Special Needs. The meeting also included representatives of the hearing impaired, cochlear implant recipients, and sign language interpreters, focusing on the significant challenges impacting their legal and service-related rights and entitlements.

During the meeting, Sajjad highlighted the urgent need to address the barriers encountered by students with hearing impairments, particularly concerning their ability to take final exams. She underscored the importance of immediate collaboration with the Ministry of Education to provide the necessary accommodations that ensure these students have equal opportunities to successfully complete their education.

Sajjad further elaborated on the procedures for re-examinations, which will be conducted using the central database after completing the matching and verification processes and securing the required approvals. This is in preparation for issuing new medical decisions and officially entering them into the approved system.

Additionally, the discussions included procedures for the re-examination of cochlear implant recipients and other individuals with hearing impairments. This follows the removal of the previous ten-year age limit for re-examination, allowing for re-evaluation of cases whose medical decisions were delayed due to exceeding the age limit, in coordination with the Ministry of Health.