Al-Bawsala – Mrs. Wadad Al-Hayyawi, who was not prevented by polio, from providing people with disabilities with support and training, and becoming an icon of challenge and perseverance in her country.

Wadad (46 years old) was able, with her success, to be a haven and destination for people with disabilities, and a key to integrating them into a society that ignored them and did not look at their capabilities and capabilities.

From the city of Al-Dhaleel in Zarqa Governorate, Wadad set out to win Arab and international titles, such as: “Ambassador of World Peace” and “Queen of Global Responsibility.”

The position that Wadad reached prompted Anatolia to visit her in her “White Window” association, which she established in 2011, in order to spread hope in the hearts of people with disabilities.

** medical mistake

“Wadad” tells of her suffering with disability, which began when she was two years old, as a result of a medical error that led to her contracting polio.

She said, “I was paralyzed with four limbs, and my father tried to treat me at that time. I immediately improved due to a medical follow-up outside Jordan for my condition, and I was able to move my upper limbs, and I resorted to physical therapy and relied on myself with the help of crutches.”

With obvious sadness, she added: “But the school refused to accept me in the first grade, and I consider it ignorance and lack of awareness of the educational staff at the time.”

And she continued, “My father had to contact a person to accept me at the school, and that was done already,” to start a new phase in which she was suffering from bullying.

Barely a semester passed, when her father died in a traffic accident, and her mother took responsibility, according to Wadad.

And she continued: “I studied for 3 years in the shade, and because the school was moved to a far place, I continued my studies in a boarding school until the tenth grade, and I used to come to my father’s house only on vacation days.”

These reasons had negative effects on Wadad’s academic achievement, she says: “I did not succeed in Tawjihi (high school), and my mood worsened a lot, and I was unable to adapt with people.”

** Going out to the community

In a tone of pride, Wadad told the story of her exit to the community, saying: “From there (not passing high school), the breakthrough was either challenge and survival or surrender.”

She added, “An international organization implemented a program to develop the capabilities of people with disabilities between 2008 and 2010, for training on capacity development, integration and empowerment.”

During the training, Wadad was surprised by the number of people with disabilities in the area and got to know them, and noticed the extent of the suffering of the accompanying people.

Feeling the suffering of the companions, prompted her to seek permission for two months of training, during which she would obtain a driver’s license and buy a car, then return to complete it.

She stated that joining that training paved the way for her idea of ​​establishing an association whose aim would be to help persons with disabilities to be active in society.

** Founding the association

“The White Window” is the name that Wadad chose for the association, and she attributed the reason for that to the fact that she wanted it to give “a kind of optimism and hope.”

With the establishment, Wadad selected the administrative body of the association from people with disabilities, then monitored the number of people with disabilities in its area, and their number ranged between 1,700 and 2,000 cases.

She added, “We have 300 of them in the association, and we provided some of them, with the support of local and international institutions and organizations, with home projects such as a small shop or livestock fattening.”

She pointed out that some parents are ashamed of their children’s disabilities, and added: “We taught them how to deal with them and bring them out to society within what is called the principles of dealing with people with disabilities.”

Regarding her achievements, she said: “The society’s view 10 years ago was difficult, especially when you want to convince them that someone who needs care is able to provide it.”

And she added, “But with some of the achievements that we have made, we have changed the society’s view, and even the matter has gone beyond that a number of those who graduated from it have become owners of initiatives.”

Referring to the association’s impact, she said: “King (Jordanian) Abdullah II visited us in 2019, and given our important role, we are receiving support from different segments of the local community and a number of philanthropists.”

** Stop suffering

Regarding the nature of the disabilities that the association deals with, Wadad indicated that they include “various disabilities, including motor, auditory and visual disabilities, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.”

In order to achieve its desired goal, the association works through “15 trainers, including craftsmen, specialists in special education, and psychological counseling,” according to Wadad.

Talab Al-Talayqa (39 years old), a founding member of the association, and despite the difficulty of his movement due to a disability in his left leg, he expressed his happiness with what they offer.

Al-Talayqa told Anadolu Agency: “The children in our association will not suffer as we suffered in our time, and this is what we seek by empowering them in the local community and proving their capabilities to people.”

As for Mona Abu Shandi (53 years old), she is a trainer in the association and her husband is a person with a disability. She said: “I am proud of my husband, he is the driving nerve of the house.”

Abu Shandi added to Anadolu Agency: “I felt that Wadad’s idea of ​​establishing the association is pioneering and excellent and helps many people with disabilities who have creativity and need support and care, and I am here to teach them handicrafts.”