Lily Bandak Dubai UAE

Her initial visual project aims to dispel the western misconception of the Middle East as inferior in terms of scientific and technological development and she pays particular attention to the unknown accomplishments of the many talented and ambitious women she has met through her work.

In addition to this commendable objective, a more recent ambition is to highlight the difficulties faced by people with disabilities and moreover, what they can achieve with the right help and support. This is a particularly passionate project for Lily as she suffers from Multiple Sclerosis - a condition that, since her diagnosis in 1984, has caused physical disability restricting her to a wheelchair and impeding her photography. After a period of frustration, Lily sought help from the Vocational Rehabilitation services in the US and designed a camera which could be fastened to her wheelchair allowing her to continue her work within the Middle East.

Lily's return to the region began with her travels in Bahrain and continued into the UAE, throughout which she endeavored to demonstrate to the Arab World that a person with disabilities, even in a wheelchair, could be an active member of society. The biggest challenge that she faced was trying to change people's attitudes towards those who are disabled. She found that people in general and more particularly in the Middle East saw disability as a finite condition worthy of pity. Her aim for the future is to introduce assistive technology to the region so that the disabled can be more independent.

The situation of the disabled is rapidl improving within the UAE as people realize the importance of valuing all members of society and see what inspirational figures like Lily Bandak can achieve. Although private care is available, more recently there are widespread public efforts to ease the problems of people with special needs and support their families. Some of the organisations in the UAE that assist in this include the Sharjah Humanitarian City, Emirates Special Needs LLC (Abu Dhabi), Abu Dhabi Centre for Care and Rehabilitation, Dubai Club for Special Sports and Takamul (Dubai), just to name a few.

In addition, the UAE Government passed the Disability Act (Federal Law No.29/2006) in November 2006 which protects the rights of people with disabilities and special needs. It is now the responsibility of architects and construction companies to provide equitable facilities to their new sites for all members of society, as recognition and subsequent action by these groups helps to increase general awareness.

Born in Jordan, Lily is now an American citizen, living in Newark. She was educated in Paris and the US, studying at such institutions as the Philadelphia College of Art, the University of Delaware and the Antonelli College of Photography. Her work has included the personal photography of many public figures within the Middle East, inclusion as the only female to have her work on permanent display in the White House and her participation in the book, Images of Egypt, sponsored by the Egyptian government.

This is all just the beginning for Lily as her vision is to see people with special needs not just supported in separate schools and organizations, but integrated within society. For her, this can be achieved through assistive technology and the UAE would be an ideal place to launch her ideas due to its positive and progressive attitude. From her early memories of a small fishing village that was Dubai in 1980, the vision that it represents today is something that Lily is very proud of and her photos share this with the rest of the world. "I am hoping to change the outlook on people with disabilities, especially in the Arab World and I wish I could get people to join me in this effort. We, in the Arab World, have over 10 million people with disabilities and we need to try and help them", she concludes.