His Excellency Dr Saad bin Saud Al Fuhaid, President of Arabian Gulf University (AGU), issued a decision to promote Dr Wid Hussain Daghustani to the rank of Associate Professor, in appreciation of her scientific and professional contributions in the field of special education and developmental disabilities.

Dr Wid Daghustani holds the position of Coordinator of the Learning and Developmental Disabilities Programme at AGU’s College of Education, Administrative and Technical Sciences. She obtained a PhD in Education with a specialisation in Autism and Social Justice from the University of Glasgow in 2017, and a Master's degree in Intellectual Disability and Autism from AGU in 2011.

Dr Wid Daghustani began her career by teaching English at the College of Medicine at Umm Al Qura University and the Gifted Programme at Saudi Aramco, in addition to teaching at several other colleges and institutes. She also participated in advanced training programmes such as the Strategic Leadership Programme at Oxford University in the United Kingdom.

In addition, Dr Wid Daghustani has significant research contributions that addressed urgent societal and educational issues. The most prominent of these is a study entitled “Victims of Sexual Abuse and the Role of Educational Institutions in Providing Protection: A Retrospective Study,” which addressed the role of educational institutions in protecting children from abuse. She also presented research on “Bullying Towards Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” which focused on the assessments of parents and teachers about the phenomenon. At the international level, she presented a research on the challenges of distance learning for children with autism from the perspective of teachers in Bahrain. 

She also contributed to teaching in the Innovative Developmental Diploma in Autism Spectrum Disorder, and contributed to the arbitration of research papers for publication in prestigious peer-reviewed scientific journals, including the Sultan Qaboos University Journal. She is a member of the Board of Directors of Al Amal Al Manshood Charity Association for Individuals with Disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where she works to support and empower people with special needs through various educational and awareness initiatives. 

Commenting on this,  Dr Wid Daghustani expressed her gratitude for this promotion, stressing that this achievement enhances her responsibilities towards serving the Gulf community. She stated: "I thank His Excellency the President of the University for his continuous support, and I vow to exert more effort to serve the Gulf community through knowledge and research that addresses urgent educational and social issues."

This promotion highlights the great efforts made by Dr Wid Daghustani in the fields of scientific research and community service, which reflects AGU’s vision in enhancing academic leadership and addressing societal and developmental challenges.