Dubai Airports, the operator of the busiest international airport, has enlisted Paralympian Jessica Smith OAM, alongside Emirati disability rights expert Fatma Al Jassim, and Dubai-based advocacy foundation, Team AngelWolf as strategic advisors to help make Dubai International (DXB) the world's most accessible and inclusive airport.
The appointment of Smith is a significant milestone for Australia. An award-winning inclusion consultant and motivational speaker, she represented Australia at the 2004 Paralympic Games and has become one of the country's most recognised voices on disability inclusion. Smith will now lend her expertise and lived experience to shaping inclusive travel solutions at DXB – ensuring the perspectives of people with disabilities are embedded in every part of the airport journey.
Majed Al Joker, Chief Operating Officer at Dubai Airports, said: "True inclusion begins with listening. By focusing our work on the lived experiences of our guests, we can challenge our own assumptions and co-create an airport experience that moves us closer to becoming the world's most inclusive hub."
Together, these three advisors bring a wealth of lived experience, diverse community inputs and advocacy to DXB. Al Jassim is an Emirati pioneer in disability inclusion. Team AngelWolf is a Dubai-based family foundation known for achieving multiple Guinness World Records through inclusive teamwork.
The new collaboration marks a new step in Dubai Airports' mission to build a more inclusive future for the aviation industry. As the first international airport globally to be designated a Certified Autism Center™ awarded by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES), DXB has already trained more than 53,000 employees in hidden disabilities practices.
The airport is a key partner in Dubai's broader ambition to become a disability-friendly city, a vision that gained momentum when the city was named as the first Certified Autism Destination in the Eastern Hemisphere earlier this year.
