Winners announced for King Salman Global Disability Research Award

Ahmed bin Suleiman Al-Rajhi, Chairman of the King Salman Global Disability Research Award, has announced the winners of the award’s fourth edition, which saw broad participation from researchers, scientists, and institutions worldwide.

He emphasized that the fourth edition marks a significant milestone for the award, thanks to the ongoing support and attention from Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Special Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques and Chairman of the Board of Trustees at the King Salman Center for Disability Research. Prince Sultan’s efforts have helped enhance the award’s stature and expand its scientific and international impact.

Al-Rajhi noted that the fourth edition received 770 nominations from 111 countries across six continents, representing about 56.9% of the world’s nations and reflecting the award’s growing international presence and interest.

He explained that the award covers five main categories: health and medical sciences, psychological and educational sciences, rehabilitation and social sciences, technological applications in disability, and universal accessibility. He added that the last two editions saw the inclusion of the technology and accessibility categories to keep pace with advances in disability research and align with Saudi Vision 2030 goals.

He pointed out that the award’s board, general secretariat, and specialized committees followed clear governance procedures throughout the process, including monitoring nominations, evaluation, judging, and result approval. This involved three board meetings, a joint team meeting, ten scientific committee meetings, and several related subcommittee sessions.

Extensive workshops were also held to discuss ways to enhance the award’s global standing and academic sustainability, in coordination with the executive management of the King Salman Center for Disability Research.

The evaluation and judging process spanned six months and involved several stages, starting with reviewing nominations for eligibility, selecting the top ten candidates in each category for the shortlist, then narrowing to three finalists per category. In the final stage, the judging committees’ recommendations and comparative results were discussed according to the award’s approved criteria, leading to the selection of winners, with the award shared in four out of five categories.

According to the board’s decision, the winners of the fourth edition are: in the rehabilitation and social sciences category, Christopher Gerard Maher from Australia and Stefano Negrini from Italy; in technological applications, Conor Walsh from Ireland and Rory Alan Cooper from the United States; in health and medical sciences, Stephen Wayne Scherer from Canada and Valery Levovich Feigin from New Zealand.

In the psychological and educational sciences category, Daniel Patrick Hallahan from the United States won, while in the universal accessibility category, the Abdul Latif Al Fozan Autism Center in Khobar and the Aksel International Ajyal Life Skills Center in Dhahran were recognized.

Al-Rajhi stressed that the winners were selected following a rigorous scientific evaluation of their contributions and impact in their respective fields, based on the award’s criteria and the judging committees’ reports.

He congratulated the fourth edition’s winners and thanked the award board members, scientific committee, judges, experts, general secretariat, executive staff, and everyone who contributed to this cycle.

Al-Rajhi concluded by expressing his deepest gratitude to King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman for their support of disability research and the King Salman Global Disability Research Award, which enhances its mission and influence both nationally and internationally.

He also renewed his thanks to Prince Sultan bin Salman bin Abdulaziz, Special Advisor to the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques, for his ongoing support and commitment to developing and strengthening the award’s global presence, as well as to the center’s management for their continued backing, which contributed to the success of this edition.