Zain strengthens Kuwaiti Sign Language through partnership with the Deaf Association
Zain Kuwait has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Kuwaiti Sports Club for the Deaf, coinciding with International Sign Language Day and International Deafness Awareness Week, to open a new chapter in its journey to enhance inclusion, accessibility, and effective communication with people with disabilities in Kuwait.
The MoU was signed at Zain’s headquarters in Al-Shuwaikh, in the presence of Waleed Al-Khashti, Chief Executive Officer of Corporate Relations and Institutional Affairs, and Khalid Al-Mutairi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Kuwaiti Sports Club for the Deaf. The partnership establishes a broad framework for cooperation in areas including accessibility, training, awareness, digital services, community engagement, youth initiatives, and professional development for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community in Kuwait.
The agreement reflects Zain’s approach to translating inclusion principles into tangible experiences that facilitate communication, expand access to services, and empower people with disabilities to participate independently. This initiative aligns with the Zain Group’s “WE ABLE 2030” vision and its corporate sustainability strategy, which aims to embed inclusion and accessibility for people with disabilities across all aspects of the company’s operations.
Al-Khashti stated: “Sign language is more than just a means of communication; it represents independence, confidence, participation, and the ability to connect with the world around us. This partnership enables us to listen more closely to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community and work together to remove barriers from the experiences that matter to them.”
He added: “At Zain, we believe that inclusion truly takes on meaning when it becomes part of how we serve our customers, develop our employees, design our digital experiences, and engage with our community. These are the goals guided by our corporate purpose to achieve ‘Permanent Connection, Better Life,’ making connectivity available to all. Through our collaboration with the club, we aim to translate this commitment into practical solutions that enhance independence and expand opportunities and participation.”
Al-Mutairi said: “Deaf and mute individuals possess capabilities, experience, and qualifications that enable them to contribute effectively to society and the job market. Therefore, we look forward to partnering with Zain and to seeing more such purposeful partnerships with private sector institutions, which will open up broader opportunities for the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community to showcase their potential and achieve their aspirations.”
The partnership centers on a wide range of initiatives designed by Zain to provide a more accessible, inclusive, and independent experience for Deaf and hard-of-hearing customers. These initiatives focus on enhancing communication through Zain’s on-site and digital channels, facilitating access to services, raising awareness and confidence among employees, and providing solutions that help remove communication barriers.
In a first for the Kuwaiti telecommunications sector, Zain is launching the first phase of a real-time video interpretation service for Deaf customers at its Al-Afniyeh and The City Center (Al-Koot Mall) branches. This service will connect them directly with certified sign language interpreters from the Kuwaiti Sports Club for the Deaf, who will facilitate immediate communication between customers and Zain’s staff.
The service enables Deaf customers to complete their branch visits independently, access services, understand offers and contracts, and make informed decisions without the need for an accompanying interpreter.
The initiative grants Deaf customers greater independence, privacy, and confidence when using Zain’s services, while also providing a more inclusive experience within the branches. It reflects Zain’s efforts to remove communication barriers and ensure its services are designed to meet customer needs, with plans to expand the service to other branches in the near future.
Zain is also launching a digital library dedicated to Kuwaiti Sign Language, developed to enhance accessibility to sign language through its field and digital channels, and to support communication between the Deaf community and those who interact with them and provide them with services.
The library comprises more than 200 phrases distributed across five themes, covering fundamentals such as Arabic letters, numbers, colors, days, and months, as well as daily communication, the work environment, customer service interactions, and digital products and services. The library has been designed as an open resource whose benefits extend beyond Zain; it will support the company’s employees and customer service teams, while also assisting the broader community, including professionals in the telecommunications sector, in enhancing their knowledge of Kuwaiti Sign Language. The initiative aims to enable more inclusive and accessible communication experiences for Zain’s Deaf customers and the Deaf community in Kuwait.
The memorandum of understanding provides a continuous platform for exchanging expertise and ideas between the two parties, contributing to the development of digital services, communication channels, and experiences offered to the Deaf and hard-of-hearing community. It also opens avenues for collaboration in developing awareness and educational content, community initiatives, youth programs, and pathways for empowerment, training, and professional development.
This partnership extends a growing series of Zain initiatives aimed at enhancing the inclusion of persons with disabilities in employment, customer experience, technology, and society. Through its “WE ABLE 2030” vision for the inclusion of persons with disabilities and Zain’s corporate sustainability strategy, the company continues to expand its efforts in professional development, customer service, innovation, and building strategic partnerships with government entities, academic institutions, and civil society organizations.
Under the partnership, Zain will launch training workshops for its employees on Kuwaiti Sign Language, including staff in roles that interact directly with customers, as well as other employees in administrative positions.
The partnership will also offer benefits to club members, as Zain will introduce special offers for more than 370 members. These offers will be announced in sign language via the Zain app and social media platforms, including a one-month free offer for eligible Zain customers. The company also plans to host an event at the club’s premises to introduce members to its offers and services.
