Dalia Freyfer is a woman of many talents. Aside from being a media personality, she writes and composes religious hymns and hosts her own television program. But that’s not all, she recently set a new Guinness World Record by presenting the longest live broadcast on Télé Liban –Lebanon’s national broadcaster.
Freyfer, who is visually impaired, broke the record in the presence of a Guinness World Record representative after remaining on air for 24 hours and interviewing 91 guests.
Dalia lost her eyesight when she was 18 years old, but has continuously said that it would not hold her back from achieving her dreams. In an emotional speech, she dedicated her victory to Lebanon’s special needs community, calling on the government to “respect them, and provide them with jobs and services.”
Naturally, many are proud
But, Lebanon's special needs services are still lagging
According to statistics, the total number of registered persons with a disability card in Lebanon, and up until the end of January 2013, is 80,703.
6,886 are visually impaired.
Lebanon adopted Law 220 on the Rights of Disabled Persons (Law 220/2000) in the year 2000. While the law makes important commitments to the rights of persons with disabilities, many of these commitments have not been respected, mainly because individuals with disabilities and Disabled Persons’ Organizations do not have apt access to information about their rights and services, and also because of the country's poor infrastructure.