The Managing Director of Al-Noor Institute:

Qatari Woman triumphs against all odds

Dr. HAYAT Khalil Heji, a young Qatari woman, is proving herself to be the epitome of willpower and determination.

 

 

 

 

 Hayat Khalil Hassan Nazar Heji:

In 1985, Hayat became blind when she was in the fifth grade.  She continued her studies in regular schools.  In that time there was no schools for blind students.  Her family encouraged and supported her a lot.  For example, they taped her textbooks onto cassettes, so that she could listen to the materials.  She used these cassettes to do her daily homework and to study for exams.  In the exam days, the officials in Educational Ministry of the State of Qatar arranged for her readers to read the questions and write down her answers.  In the high school she studied in the literature section.  She graduated number 10 academically among all the high school students in the country with a high score of 95.1.  Then, in 1994, she started her studies at Qatar University in the Arabic Language section.  Her father arranged for her a special teacher to teach her Braille.  In two months she learned writing and reading Braille in Arabic Language, English Language, Math Braille, and short hand Braille.  Also, her father bought for her a bunch of books in Braille from other countries.  After that, she has used Braille in her studies.  She took her notes in Braille from the cassettes that her family had taped for her.  She did this until she graduated from Qatar University with a Bachelor's degree in June 1998. 

In her graduation ceremony at the University in 1998, Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bin Nasser Al-Mesnad, the consort of  His Highness the ruler of Qatar, wished for Hayat to continue her graduate studies. 
“Her Highness wished I should continue my studies and this inspired me to pursue efforts in this regard,” Hayat recalled. 

at the same year, in September 1998, the ruler's wife established Al-Noor Institute for People with Visual Impairments.  Hayat preferred to work at this school.  She has worked there for two years, from 1998 to 2000.  Through her working in Al-Noor Institute, she wrote the Arabic text book for teaching Braille to be taught for grade

1.  Also, the Educational Ministry proved her textbook and proved that her textbook is equivalent to the regular Arabic textbook of the ministry.  Also, she taught Braille to the student's parents so that they could help their children. 

To full fill her highness wishes, Hayat decided to travel to the United States of America.  In 2003, she graduated from her master's degree in Education and Special Education from Saint Joseph's University.  Then immediately after her graduation from her master’s degree, she started to study her doctoral program in Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph's University, (in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA).

 She uses the computer with screen reader to do her assignments and researches. 

In the woman day in March 8, 2005, it was the first time that her highness Shiekha Moza hired a committee to select five women to be honored in this day for their Perseverance and ambitions.  Hayat was one of them.

Recently in May 2007, Hayat got her doctoral degree from the USA.  Her graduation ceremony was in May 12, 2007.   In May 2007, few days after her graduation she is hired to be the Managing Director of "Al-Noor institute for the Blind".    

The Family: One of her sisters has a doctoral degree in Medical.  She is the Director of Alwakra Health Center.

In accordance with Article 49 in the Constitution of Qatar: “Education is the right of all.”  Also, “the State shall extend efforts to achieve fair and appropriate access in education for all.”  In this regard, we find Qatar University has always been and still is determined to provide educational opportunities that ensure fair and appropriate access to programs, services, facilities, and activities for students with special needs.  Admission to Qatar University is based solely on an applicant’s qualifications and record of achievement regardless of his/her special needs.  All applicants to the university are reviewed through the same admissions process.

Special Needs Section:

The Special Needs Section was established at the behest of the university administration to meet the growing demands and expected increase in the future number of students with special needs at the university. To meet these growing demands, the administration supported the establishment of a section that provides comprehensive services and equipment to students with special needs.   This section provides the services and equipment to support students with special needs in the university.  One of the most prominent services provided is the resource room that is equipped with the latest modern technical equipment.

The Special Needs Section is a new and dynamic section which has been established in May 2007. Since then the section has been able to develop its strength and focus to meet the demands of this special category.

The Special Needs Section ensures that all students with special needs have an equitable environment to excel academically.

Our Services:

As the national institution for post-secondary education, Qatar University offers staff designated to assist students with special needs throughout their time at the university. The students are provided with appropriate services regarding their individual needs.

The General Director of Al-Noor Institute:

Qatari Woman triumphs against all odds

HAYAT Khalil Heji, a young Qatari woman, is proving herself to be the epitome of willpower and determination.

 

 

 

 

 Hayat Khalil Hassan Nazar Heji:

In 1985, Hayat became blind when she was in the fifth grade.  She continued her studies in regular schools.  In that time there was no schools for blind students.  Her family encouraged and supported her a lot.  For example, they taped her textbooks onto cassettes, so that she could listen to the materials.  She used these cassettes to do her daily homework and to study for exams.  In the exam days, the officials in Educational Ministry of the State of Qatar arranged for her readers to read the questions and write down her answers.  In the high school she studied in the literature section.  She graduated number 10 academically among all the high school students in the country with a high score of 95.1.  Then, in 1994, she started her studies at Qatar University in the Arabic Language section.  Her father arranged for her a special teacher to teach her Braille.  In two months she learned writing and reading Braille in Arabic Language, English Language, Math Braille, and short hand Braille.  Also, her father bought for her a bunch of books in Braille from other countries.  After that, she has used Braille in her studies.  She took her notes in Braille from the cassettes that her family had taped for her.  She did this until she graduated from Qatar University with a Bachelor's degree in June 1998. 

In her graduation ceremony at the University in 1998, Her Highness Sheikha Moza Bin Nasser Al-Mesnad, the consort of  His Highness the ruler of Qatar, wished for Hayat to continue her graduate studies. 
“Her Highness wished I should continue my studies and this inspired me to pursue efforts in this regard,” Hayat recalled. 

at the same year, in September 1998, the ruler's wife established Al-Noor Institute for People with Visual Impairments.  Hayat preferred to work at this school.  She has worked there for two years, from 1998 to 2000.  Through her working in Al-Noor Institute, she wrote the Arabic text book for teaching Braille to be taught for grade

1.  Also, the Educational Ministry proved her textbook and proved that her textbook is equivalent to the regular Arabic textbook of the ministry.  Also, she taught Braille to the student's parents so that they could help their children. 

To full fill her highness wishes, Hayat decided to travel to the United States of America.  In 2003, she graduated from her master's degree in Education and Special Education from Saint Joseph's University.  Then immediately after her graduation from her master’s degree, she started to study her doctoral program in Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph's University, (in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA).

 She uses the computer with screen reader to do her assignments and researches. 

In the woman day in March 8, 2005, it was the first time that her highness Shiekha Moza hired a committee to select five women to be honored in this day for their Perseverance and ambitions.  Hayat was one of them.

Recently in May 2007, Hayat got her doctoral degree from the USA.  Her graduation ceremony was in May 12, 2007.   In May 2007, few days after her graduation she is hired to be the General Director of Al-Noor institute, for students with visual impairments.    

The Family: One of her sisters has a doctoral degree in Medical.  She is the Director of Alwakra Health Center.

For every doctoral degree candidate the road to that final commencement is no doubt a long one, paved with typical and even atypical setbacks, struggles, and successes. But for one doctoral candidate in Saint Joseph’s educational leadership program, the road was more than six thousand miles long.

Hayat Khalil Hassan Nazar Heji is a native of Qatar who also happens to be blind. From an early age, Hayat Heji expressed a strong desire to learn and a determination to succeed despite her handicap. With no schools to support blind students in her country at the time, Heji and her family made do. She recalls that her parents, brothers, and sisters would spend hours taping her textbooks onto cassettes so she could listen to her lessons. At her high school graduation Hayat Heji was ranked the tenth best student in her country.

It wasn’t until college that Hayat Heji learned to read Braille, both in Arabic and English. “My father arranged for a special teacher to teach me Braille.  In two months I learned writing and reading Braille in Arabic Language, English Language, Math Braille, and short hand Braille” She recalls. Then she was able to take her own notes in Braille. Hayat Heji graduated from Qatar University in 1998 and was urged by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, the Consort of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, the Emir of the State of Qatar to continue her graduate studies. Qatar is a country in the midst of an educational reform movement to restore Arab education, culture and influence to its former glory. Hayat Heji would later be one of five women honored by her country for ambition and perseverance.

In the two years following college graduation, Hayat Heji taught at the Al-Noor Institute for Students with visual impairments, opened by Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned in 1998.

“I believe that I was able to understand my students' feelings, emotions and needs because I too am blind,” she said. I also wrote a textbook to teach the Arabic Language which is being used now in the first grade in the Alnoor Institute and offered special lessons for parents of blind students so they would be able to help their children to deal with homework and life.”

Her work at the Institute only furthered her desire to continue her studies. Hayat Heji found out about Saint Joseph’s at the Qatar Embassy in USA and was hopeful that it would be a good fit. In 2001, Hayat Heji began her master’s degree at SJU in elementary and special education.

She uses the new technology to do her writing works such as,  Laptop with Screen Reader (She memorizes the letters on the keyboard), Braille Note machine (It transfers the writing from Braille to normal sighted print and the opposite.

“During my studies I was introduced to many educational theories that discuss different educational techniques,” she said. “I visited different elementary and special education schools around this area and observed classes there which have given me an opportunity to share and exchange my experiences.”

From there Hayat Heji began her doctoral degree in educational leadership at SJU, and has chosen as her dissertation the proposal for a similar doctoral degree in her native country.

“My proposal blends the Qatari culture and American programs through the construction of a culturally sensitive model to be utilized in the State of Qatar,” Hayat Heji explained. “The study provides background on the educational history of the State of Qatar, and the current educational commitments of the country.”

After commencement Hayat Heji will travel back to Qatar, more than six thousand miles away, to bring back the gift of education she’s been receiving her whole life.

“I would like to serve my country,” she said. “I want to use my experiences and knowledge to participate in the educational development that is been led by the powerful wisdom of the Emir of my country, the State of Qatar.”

Finally, Hayat Heji said that: “I would like to express my deep and grateful thanks to His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani the Emir of the State of Qatar, His Highness Consort Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, and His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani Heir Apparent of the State of Qatar for leading, guiding, and continuously developing education in our country.”  She also thanks all nice people she met in the USA specially Ms. Elizabeth Allen. “Elizabeth, who is like a mother to us, even threw a party at her own expense to celebrate my graduation” Hayat Heji said. She also thanks Saint Joseph’s University and she recalls the assistances of Dr. Robert Palestini, Dr. Raymond Horn Jr., Dr. Jean Brady, and Warren Pross.  

Oops! Techie wipes out $38 billion fund

Keystroke mistake deletes data for Alaska’s oil-funded account

JUNEAU, Alaska - Perhaps you know that sinking feeling when a single keystroke accidentally destroys hours of work. Now imagine wiping out a disk drive containing an account worth $38 billion.

That’s what happened to a computer technician reformatting a disk drive at the Alaska Department of Revenue. While doing routine maintenance work, the technician accidentally deleted applicant information for an oil-funded account — one of Alaska residents’ biggest perks — and mistakenly reformatted the backup drive, as well.

There was still hope, until the department discovered its third line of defense, backup tapes, were unreadable.

“Nobody panicked, but we instantly went into planning for the worst-case scenario,” said Permanent Fund Dividend Division Director Amy Skow. The computer foul-up last July would end up costing the department more than $200,000.

Over the next few days, as the department, the division and consultants from Microsoft Corp. and Dell Inc. labored to retrieve the data, it became obvious the worst-case scenario was at hand.

Nine months worth of information concerning the yearly payout from the Alaska Permanent Fund was gone: some 800,000 electronic images that had been painstakingly scanned into the system months earlier, the 2006 paper applications that people had either mailed in or filed over the counter, and supporting documentation such as birth certificates and proof of residence.

And the only backup was the paperwork itself — stored in more than 300 cardboard boxes.

“We had to bring that paper back to the scanning room, and send it through again, and quality control it, and then you have to have a way to link that paper to that person’s file,” Skow said.

Half a dozen seasonal workers came back to assist the regular division staff, and about 70 people working overtime and weekends re-entered all the lost data by the end of August.

“They were just ready, willing and able to chip in and, in fact, we needed all of them to chip in to get all the paperwork rescanned in a timely manner so that we could meet our obligations to the public,” Skow said.

He asked "Imam Ali, tell me the smallest number, that if we divide it by any number from 1-10 the answer will always come in the form of a whole number and not as a fraction."

Imam Ali (AS) looked back at him and said, "Take the number of days in a year and multiply it with the number of days in a week and you will have your answer."

The Jewish person got astonished but as he was a polytheist (Mushrik), he still didn't believe Imam Ali (AS). He calculated the answer Imam Ali (AS) gave him.

To his amazement he came across the following results:

The number of Days in a Year = 360 (in Arab)

The Number of Days in a Week = 7

The product of the two numbers = 2520

Now...

"I have 17 Camels, and I have three sons. Divide my Camels in such a way that my eldest son gets half of them, the second one gets 1/3rd of the total and my youngest son gets 1/9th of the total number of Camels."

After his death when the relatives read his will they got extremely perplexed and said to each other that how can we divide 17 camels like this.

So after a long hard thought they decided that there was only one man in Arabia who could help them: "Imam Ali (AS)."

So they all came to the door of Imam Ali (AS) and put forward their problem.

Imam Ali (AS) said, "Ok, I will divide the camels as per the man's will."

Imam Ali (AS) said, "I will lend one of my camels to the total which makes it 18 (17+1=18), now lets divide as per his will."

The eldest son gets 1/2 of 18 = 9
The second one gets 1/3 of 18 = 6
The youngest gets 1/9 of 18 = 2
Now the total number of camels = 17 (9+6+2=17)

Click on the link to see the show of Lighting the Flame, The greatest show on earth in the State of Qatar:     

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yzu-763png&mode=related&search=

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awxthN7-ybE&mode=related&search=

The greatest show on earth in the State of Qatar:

In Dec 1, 2006, the 15th Asian Games exploded into life with the most spectacular Opening Ceremony ever staged.

 Lighting the Flame:

Then it was the time for the last act of the Torch Relay, into the stadium and up to light the Games Cauldron.

 Six famous athletics carried the Flame around the perimeter of the arena, past the athletes assembled in the centre. The six, athletics embraced as they passed the Torch between them, enjoying the moment.

 Finally the sixth athletics, Talal Mansour approached a bronze and steel stage in the shape of the Asian Games sun, which opened like a flower to reveal HE Sheikh Mohammed Bin Hamad Al-Thani (the Qatar ruler’s son) astride a magnificent black horse. Talal Mansour opened Sheikh Mohammed’s flame.  

The Flame was passed to HE Sheikh Mohammed (the Qatar ruler’s son) who set of at a canter towards the opposite side of the stadium where a steep ramp led to the very top of the tiers of seats. With a magnificent effort, horse and rider made the seemingly-impossible ascent, to be met by the slowly rising Cauldron.   All Qatari’s hearts were with Sheikh Mohammed, especially when the horse stumbled little bit on the stairs of the tiers. In that time, every body yelled, God help him, God help him (Alla Yayna, Alla Yayna)

The Flame jumped the gap and the Cauldron transformed into a magnificent astrolabe, the icon of the Seeker’s journey, completing the symbolism of the night.

Then, the fireworks began, rending the sky above Qatar and making night day.

Never has there been such an opening to an Asian Games, never to any games if the truth be known.

See the show of Lighting the Flame in the link:  

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6yzu-763png&mode=related&search=

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=awxthN7-ybE&mode=related&search=

For more information, here is a website:

 http://www.doha-2006.org/gis/menuroot/news/dailysummary.aspx?dt=01-12-2006

 The flame is like PAIRING of the Orry (Oryx).