Mr. Saman Hussain, the President of the Handicapped Union of Kurdistan, hosted CGDS on Wednesday, October 28, 2020. He and other officers and members of the organization spoke with Dr. Lynn Rose, CGDS Deputy Director, and Ms. Tara Burhan, CGDS’s EU MENA Liaison. Founded in 1996, the entire staff of the Handicapped Union is composed of people with disabilities. Their focus is on implementing laws and addressing common misperceptions about people with disabilities. The organization also works to provide employment opportunities. Ms. Hajar Kaka Hama, the Handicapped Union’s liaison with disabled women, spoke about some of the issues of gendered disability. Most recently, the union has sought assistance from the private sector for people with disabilities who suffer because of the COVID pandemic. Mr. Sangar Othman, the organization’s accountant, and Mr. Ali Noori, a member of the organization, were also present. CGDS hopes to ally with people with disabilities in our mutual struggle to fashion a world in which all humanity can thrive.
Photo description: There are two photos. One is a circular logo, predominantly pink, with the figures in black and white, and the script in green, dark pink, and black. Three figures comprise the inner circle. On top, we see a black mountain with white peaks, underneath which is the logo’s central figure, a stylized human form in white, holding a crutch, with the right, lower leg missing. Below the human figure is a stylized white eagle, its wings outspread. In between the human figure and the eagle are the letters HUK, in green all-caps. There are two sets of script in the outer circle of the logo. The top script, in dark pink, spells HANDICAPPED UNION OF KURDISTAN, all-caps. The bottom script, in green, spells the same thing in the Kurdish alphabet. Across the wings of the eagle are three words, in black, also in Kurdish script. The logo is on a background of three stripes. The top and bottom stripes are pink; the middle stripe is a green-tinted white.
The other photo shows a group of seven people standing next to each other, facing the camera. From left to right, we see a bearded man in an olive green suit of traditional Kurdish clothes—a collared shirt and full, pleated tourers with a decorative cloth belt. To his left is a woman with light hair in a patterned green and brown tunic over a black skirt. Next to her is a woman in a long black dress, wearing a grey hijab and holding a green patterned handbag in front of her. To her left is the central figure, a man with dark hair wearing a peach colored, collared shirt and dark trousers. Next to him stands a bearded man with dark hair, wearing a light gray shirt and dark gray trousers, with a crutch fitted to each arm. A woman with long, light hair, wearing a light blue jacket and black trousers, stands next to him. To her left is a woman with dark hair pulled back, wearing a black tunic over black trousers, holding two small boxes. The group stands against four large opaque photos of people with disabilities.