Under the auspices of the President of Al-Zahraa University for Women, Prof. Dr. Zainab Al-Sultani, and under the supervision of the Dean of the College of Engineering and Information Technology, Prof. Dr. Ghaidaa Al-Mulla, the college organized a scientific lecture entitled “Towards an Inclusive Digital World: Technology Serving All Users.”

The lecture was delivered by programmer Mohammed Jassim, a staff member at the Holy Al-Husseiniya Shrine – Communications Department. He is visually impaired and specializes in wireless network programming, and he actively supports empowering individuals with visual impairments to use accessibility tools.

Jassim began his lecture by highlighting the concept of “accessibility” as a fundamental requirement in the design of digital systems, emphasizing that digital transformation cannot be complete unless it is inclusive of all users without exception.

He also addressed the major technical challenges resulting from the lack of consideration for the needs of people with disabilities. He presented a practical example of a program incompatible with accessibility tools to demonstrate the impact of poor programming practices on user experience. Furthermore, he referred to international standards set by specialized organizations such as the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), including the WCAG guidelines, noting that adherence to these standards reflects maturity in the development process and a high level of professional awareness among institutions and programmers.

The lecture concluded by stressing that true technology is measured by its ability to serve everyone, and that achieving digital inclusion is a shared responsibility between programmers and educational institutions. The session witnessed active academic engagement from engineering students, reflecting the university’s commitment to promoting inclusive design principles and building a fair and sustainable digital learning environment.