About Saima

Advocate | Entrepreneur Special Educator | Writer

Since childhood, Saima Haq has a natural inclination to teach – and was always especially sensitive to those for whom learning did not come easy. These inclinations naturally led her towards special education and social work, and when it came time for college, Saima easily gravitated toward a major in Social Welfare and Educational Psychology. That was just the stepping stone she needed to lead her to making her mark in the field of special education.

In 1996, she founded the Special Children’s Educational Institute (SCEI)which has been a godsend for this under-served population in Karachi, many of whom had had virtually no educational or developmental opportunities beforehand.  As principal for 23 years and counting, Saima has made SCEI into not just a place of learning, but into a place of hope and joy – a home away from home where a path to a fulfilling life has been introduced to these beautiful souls.

Her skill in designing specialized curricula, and in developing physiotherapy and speech programs for the differently-able has led her to many settings. Early in her career, she served a stint as an instructor at the Dow University of Health Sciences. She has also served on the Board of Trustees at the Karachi American School. Saima is currently the Special Education Chair at the Society of Pakistan English Language Teachers. Saima’s efforts in speaking for the rights of the intellectually challenged were recognized and honored by the Sindh Government, which awarded her a plaque in 2019. And these are just a few of her activities outside of her work at SCEI.

Saima's background of growing up in several different countries has provided many experiences and observations that have inspired her to write pithy poetry, which she publishes on Instagram and in limited edition chapbooks. She has even directed her creativity toward vocational-based home and personal accessory designing!

In 2018, Saima began working on an app which she has called ParentsPlus. She saw a serious need in her community for emotional and physical support and believed this app could transform the lives of the very parents she had worked with for over two decades. ParentsPlus is a tool to help special needs parents schedule and organize their child’s needs and communicate them to their near family and friends. Her pitch for the project was accepted at The Nest I/O, the city’s premier tech incubator, where she is working to refine it and ensure that it is made available to special needs families everywhere.

And she is by no means finished! Ideas continue to abound and her remarkable energy will see that many come to fruition. Saima is a force to be watched!