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By Car Nazzal (They/She)
For accompanying audio recording visit merajpublishing.com/inara-audio
Hey y’all I am reporting today from the Gaza International Airport! As an international artist and journalist, I have been all over the world interviewing and covering the most innovative new cultural shifts in art, architecture, and design. And it is with great pleasure that I cover this year's Gaza Accessibility Design Convention. Gaza has been at the forefront in accessibility design worldwide, being the first to rank as the most accessible city in the world by the Global Health Watch, it maintains its place as number one, though Tokyo, Japan is coming in as a close second. Many of you know that I am mixed-race and Palestinian, and I spend half the year in Al-Quds in the home my Sido built with his own two hands. While there, I was involved in historical movements and artist collectives uncovering previously stolen artifacts to research and preserve our heritage. This work has meant so much to me. AND this is the first time I have flown into Gaza International! The airport is gorgeous. It has a classic feeling built with both natural Al-Quds stone and sustainable recycled cement, with skylights and actual olive trees growing inside in mini courtyards. Directories include visual designs by Rajie Cook and codes for audio dictation. I love the amount of walking belts that make it a relaxing experience to move from one end of the airport to the other with ease, with less heavy lifting of luggage. Gaza International quite possibly has the best food court of any airport I have ever been to. The food here ranges from traditional Palestinian, with ethically lab-grown meat, to recently expanded MishMish Souq Deli for an experience where authentic Palestinian cuisine meets plant-based dining. Have you ever been to an airport and just loved the smell?! Gaza International is intoxicating with the sweet robust smell of knafeh in the air. Vendors are at the ready cooking up fresh large platters to greet travelers as they arrive or to savor before they depart. I can’t believe this exists, but you can also pick up self-heating knafeh gift boxes. First you remove the syrup packets at the top, pull the small cord on the side, and the box starts to steam and heat up for five minutes, then it’s ready to open, pour the syrup on top and eat! A coveted souvenir.
Right now architects, city planners, designers, press, students, and professionals have flown in via solar air, the newest form of solar flying, from all over the world to be here for the convention. The airport buzzes with anticipation. I come not just as an outside observer but as an active recipient of advanced technology developed in Gaza for those who need accessibility aids. I am dyslexic. I love being dyslexic! My dyslexia has always given me an edge as well as a different spacial and somatic perspective. My writing process involves the tool hEarMe Write tech for dictation recording and dictation editing that was invented here in Gaza. It is simple to use despite sounding complicated. The WI (willed intelligence) software accurately transcribes and makes dictating edits easy. It is like talking to a person on the other side who accurately lays the audio on the track and can understand complex directions –but it is totally secure.
Let’s explore everything happening at this year's event. The Gaza Accessibility Design Convention is a month-long conference and citywide celebration, showcasing innovative architecture and design. That means three weeks packed of panels, tours, installations, workshops and exhibits showing off the world's number one accessible city. This year's program aims to explore how disability design and alternative solar energy can support each other.
Once participants arrive for event registration and gala, they are ushered into the main theater. As you enter the theater in total awe, you will notice that every single seat is accessible and customizable with large open areas for easy movement. Seats can be added or removed and there are pillows and blankets stacked as you walk in for that extra-special added comfort. The event is both in-person and streaming and there are short video vignettes playing to really help conference goers contextualize what it is like inside an accessible city and how to properly engage and navigate in Gaza. Program manager, Jad Al-Assouli had this to say, “It is really about embracing accessibility rather than viewing ability in a hierarchical mindset. Here we see all people as equals. We know that because of us, the world is changing and we want to do our part to keep inspiring change.”
According to the Global Citizen Health Research Organization, 1 in 5 people worldwide has a significant disability –that’s roughly 1.8 billion people and it is expected to increase. This is considered the world’s largest minority. And 25% of all people will have a permanent or temporary disability within their lifetime. Palestinians are devoted to their children and future generations therefore they have taken huge strides in destigmatizing disability which is the core inspiration for the accessible city project.
Local architects went to work building a revolutionary city to adapt to the people of Gaza instead of expecting them to adapt to an unsupportive infrastructure. This completely revolutionized architecture design. “There is no one-size-fits-all due to a range of disabilities. This poses one of the biggest challenges and fun creative problem solving for designers”, says Marwah Totah, renowned Palestinian architect. “We decided early in the process on the importance of openly collaborating with all firms to find the most sustainable design that supports our communities –it has been much more effective than a competitive approach.” Resident blocks are dedicated to compatible communities organized to house people with different strengths so they can help each other. Homes are easily customized, for example they include hydraulic lowering counters and appliances such as stoves have knobs in the front for people who use wheelchairs. Customization is adjusted over time to support citizens as they age.
As part of the reconstruction decade and the Global Equality Resource Distribution and Reparations Act, all housing is free for people with disabilities. People who are not disabled but work as part of the compatible communities project, as well as professional caregivers are also eligible for added housing credits, making Gaza one of the most desirable places for caregivers to live.
Gaza also has the highest life expectancy for disabled people in the world, and that can be accredited to the remodeling of the healthcare system that has centered disability, physical and mental. For example, hospitals are equipped with extra large MRI machines, low hydraulic beds that go down to the floor, and customizable offices. Gaza also has a fleet of mobile medical buses making doctor house calls available to all. Doctors and staff are trained to clearly communicate directly to patients. Many of the most experienced doctors continue to practice and consult for other hospitals to ensure patients are comfortable. Many doctors themselves are also disabled, and know from experience, “When it comes to medicine, anything other than comfort is torture.” Says Dr. Laila Alaqad.
Jobs are optional and available for citizens who feel called to volunteer and donate their time simply for the enjoyment it brings them. You can find them throughout the convention teaching indigenous textile weaving dyeing and tatreez techniques, crafts, and traditional food demonstrations. But also many disabled people work in tech, historical archives, as professors, as psychologists, and as animators for the Animation Studio of Palestine with plenty of remote work –making this a hub of Palestine’s contemporary creative movement. Work hours are flexible allowing employees to set their hours with respect to their capacity that day.
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Transportation is readily available around the city thanks to consistent solar buses that are all wheelchair and smart chair accessible. The city also has accessible taxis which are often seen heading to the beach with people ready to enjoy the miles-long promenade. This year there is a new stop on the route, Gaza’s first ever accessible pool and spa, whose grand opening coincides with this year’s event! The new spa sits close to the sea with facilities both indoors and outdoors and is entirely accessible with easy lifts, ramps, and belts going into hot tubs, pools, and saunas. The building utilizes clay and wood with an echoless design shape to minimize and limit echoing sounds for those with hearing and over-stimulation sensitivities. They even have wall-mounted silent smart hairdryers! I can’t wait to check out the fragrance-free gift shop full of luxurious soaps, lotions, and cosmetics. The shop is known for their diverse range of lotion textures. The spa’s architect, Samar Roqaya, is especially excited about the launch. Samar happens to be deaf and signs to me via an interpreter mirror that dictates his signs out loud, “The biggest difference between our style of architecture and the rest of the world’s is our goal to meet the needs of ALL people. When someone complains about something we get excited because now we have something new to invent. When someone shares what they need, we just want to help them have it. I know other countries are just starting to listen to their disabled citizens but this is what we live for. We as a people know how important it is to have our basic needs met, and it is part of our hospitality and joy to meet those needs.”
Here in Gaza accessibility is not only considered for people with physical disabilities but neurodiverse folks like myself are supported too! I have been waiting all year to find out about the hEarMe Write company tech announcements. They are hosting multiple events including the release of menu readers at multiple popup cafes. But the fun and innovation don't stop there. The city has unrestricted “quiet rooms” stocked with sensory toys, pillows, and a help button if aid is needed. Quiet rooms can be found inside community buildings, spiritual centers, hotels, the grand shopping bazaar, and the airport to assist in settling down from over-stimulation. One such community center is the Gaza Neuroqueer Future Community Center which is dedicated to providing social events, education, and scholarships. The Center has a vast heirloom community garden and seed library, which is the site for many after-parties this month. Follow their updates for the full calendar.
The conference changes every year. This year it is longer than it ever has been before to allow organizers more time to be present, participate, take needed breaks, and avoid burnout. Scientist and organizer Hussam Al-Attar says “Gaza is so accessible that “disability” isn’t really a word we use anymore. We have made it so all people are members of the community regardless of their earning potential. But we found that over the years we have to keep adjusting our event, keep listening to our community, and find ways for international participants to be more cohesive to our way of life because an event this size is sometimes overwhelming to our citizens.” This year is expected to be the largest event in history. Al-Attar continued “Each year we continue to vote to do the conference because we know there is justice in how we innovate, and if we don’t lead the way and share it –well none of us are free until all of us are free.” And that’s really what our Palestinian community has taught us: solidarity and how to use our privilege with purpose. The conference ends on March 22nd with a solar art installation created by Al-Attar celebrating Palestinian liberation and spirit. I hope to see you there!
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Dr. Car Nazzal has a doctorate in liberation psychology and is a part-time cultural interviewer and Global Citizen, with a focus on art, psychology and Palestinian heritage. They are queer, neurodiverse mixed-race Palestinian artist and sculptor. See their artwork in museums and interviews in Queer Vogue, Palestine Times, Psych Daily and Commotion.
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Art by Mishandi J. Sarhan