QF graduate's efforts make her a true model for an inclusive society

Reem Abuzeid’s impact on the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is as dramatic as some of the goals that were scored on the pitch during the world’s biggest sporting event. Her work as an audio describer led to such passionate comments as “your voice made me live the show”; “we can imagine the whole venue”; “we enjoyed the show because of you”.
Abuzeid will be soon celebrating her graduation from the Audiovisual Translation Programme in the College of Humanities and Social Sciences, part of Qatar Foundation’s Hamad Bin Khalifa University .
“Working in a role that makes something accessible for someone made me feel useful,” said Abuzeid. “Their words touched my heart deeply. It made me realise how my work as an audio describer can help people, and possibly impact their lives positively.”
Abuzeid was part of the accessibility expert teams that participated in The Children's Art Exhibition, Reesha: We Welcome the World to Qatar 2022, as an audio describer of the paintings, which took place in the lead up to the World Cup at Qatar National Library .
She also participated as an audio describer and voice talent in the Seeroo fi al Ardh multisensory experience that offers the blind community a chance to enjoy the final art work of the late acclaimed artist M F Husain, which is based at QF’s Education City. In addition, she was among the audio describers of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™ opening ceremony’s preshow.
Abuzeid said: “On the World Cup opening ceremony preshow, we audio-described all the details – from the jerseys, flags, mascots, to the traditional Qatari attire for men and women – in both Arabic and English languages.
“Participating in such a huge event was overwhelming. People from all over the world were listening to our voices while we were trying to help all people, regardless of their abilities to experience what was happening on that remarkable day.”
But Abuzeid feels her work on the Seeroo fi al Ardh multisensory experience is the closest to her heart. She says the experience was very artistic – with the music and the colors – and she had the chance to see the audience with visual impairment react to her audio description on the spot.
Doing her masters, Abuzeid realised that the work in the area of accessibility builds bridges, and that making something accessible means making it available for as many people as possible regardless of their abilities.