After being awarded a BSc in Business Management from King's College London and having worked as a PricewaterhouseCoopers Strategy consultant for Mergers and Acquisitions in the MENA region, Nazli shifted careers to the special educational needs and disability field. With an MA in Special & Inclusive Education from University College of London, Nazli is a learning support specialist in Cairo American College's elementary school Learning Support Services department and a learning skills development therapist at the Effective Learning Foundation. She works with children with a range of developmental disabilities and learning difficulties with the hopes of developing their skills, strategies, and self-esteem in order to cope in an academic environment.⏳Timestamps:[2:00] Introduction[3:00] Nazli’s journey to special and inclusive education and providing support services.[10:00] The burden of change and impact of switching careers.[14:30] The Main Transferable Skill sets that constituted Nazli’s career path.[19:00] Special Education and its misconceptions in the Middle East and Egypt.[26:00] The future of special education in the MENA region.[29:00] Playing a role, taking action, and giving accessibility.[32:00] Nazli's upcoming projects.[35:00] Ending💭Quotes:

• “I grew up fully aware of the challenges that a family faces when a member needs special care, and there is not care that can be offered to that person.”
• “Teamwork is the backbone of any consulting project.”
• “Special needs and disability are still a massive stigma and that’s because of the lack of awareness and education.”
• “We hear the word “disability”, and we freak out because we as humans are not comfortable with what we do not know, and it’s all linked to our lack of awareness.”
• “The general sentiment in the world, in general, is to assume that individuals with disabilities cannot be active members of our society, and we don’t give them as much importance as people that can contribute to our lives, and it’s because we don’t give them a chance to explore what they can and cannot do.”

✍🏼 Key lessons:

• It’s never too late to change the course of your studies and career.
• Adaptability is one of the key skills that should be acquired when wanting to make a life-changing decision. People need the proper information to understand what disability and autism mean.
• We should present people with disabilities with the same chances in everyday life.
• People with disabilities can be just as active, functional, healthy, and beneficial members of our society.
• Proper training, infrastructure, and accommodation can help raise awareness and enable children with disabilities in schools.