Hala News – Jordan continues to consolidate its national approach to protecting the rights of persons with disabilities and promoting their inclusion in various areas of life, through educational, development and service programs implemented by government institutions and partners from the public and private sectors, in line with the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and comprehensive national strategies for integration and empowerment.

The ongoing initiatives, extending across the various governorates of the Kingdom, reflect Jordan’s orientation towards building a comprehensive national system based on equal opportunities and community integration, through developing inclusive education, expanding training and vocational rehabilitation programs, and creating infrastructure and social services, in a way that guarantees people with disabilities the exercise of their full rights and active participation in the national development process.

In Irbid Governorate, the Director of Education for Qasaba Irbid District, Dr. Raad Al-Khasawneh, said that the district includes about 41 inclusive schools aimed at integrating students with disabilities into the normal school environment, with support from international and local organizations, including the Program for Strengthening the Basic and Secondary Education Support System and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ).

He explained that the directorate includes 25 multidisciplinary rooms and three rooms for mental disabilities, in addition to the Al-Amal School for the Deaf, while government schools receive students with disabilities at a rate of 2% for each section, and 41 male and female teachers specialize in the fields of speech, hearing, occupational therapy, autism spectrum disorder, special education, and learning difficulties. The number of registered students is approximately 362 male and female students, in addition to providing eight caregivers in a number of schools to ensure a safe and supportive educational environment.

For her part, Director of Education for the Bani Ubaid District, Nisreen Al-Bakkar, stated that the directorate includes four comprehensive schools serving about 370 male and female students from various educational levels, equipped with specialized teams of specialists in the fields of optometry, physical and occupational therapy, hearing and speech, and providing individual educational programs that take into account the needs of each student.

In turn, the Director of Education for the Taybeh and Al-Wasatiya Districts, Ziyad Al-Jarrah, indicated that two equipped schools in the two districts receive about 60 male and female students with disabilities, within educational and rehabilitation programs supported by specialized teams that include 12 qualified teachers and support teachers through multidisciplinary rooms.

In Zarqa Governorate, cooperation continues between government institutions and civil society to enhance opportunities for integration and empowerment, as the Ministry of Social Development and the Supreme Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities implement field programs, including training young people with disabilities in hydroponics techniques at the Rusaifeh Center through the National Aid Fund, which contributes to opening the horizons of self-employment and employment. The Comprehensive Empowerment Society for the Care of Orphans and People with Disabilities also implements awareness programs and community support initiatives in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, while the Governorate Council has allocated about 10,000 dinars to support training programs for this group.

In the education sector, Director of Rusayfa Education, Ahmed Shdeifat, confirmed that public schools have become inclusive and friendly schools for people with disabilities, as they provide supportive teachers, classroom equipment, and equipped bathrooms, pointing to the increasing demand of families to enroll their children in public schools with the improvement in the quality of educational and rehabilitative services provided.

In Madaba Governorate, the efforts of governmental and private institutions are shared in providing services to people with disabilities, such as the Ministry of Social Development, the National Aid Fund, the Ministry of Education, municipalities, charities specialized in this field, and the Madaba Institute for Mosaic Art and Restoration.

The mayor of Greater Madaba, Haitham Jwainat, stated that the municipality is keen to prepare the infrastructure to be suitable for people with disabilities when constructing roads, squares and buildings to enable people with disabilities to use these facilities.

In turn, the Dean of the Mosaic Art Institute in Madaba, Dr. Ahmed Al-Amayra, confirmed that last year the Institute trained 45 people with disabilities in the mosaic craft in cooperation with charitable societies to create job opportunities for them in the mosaic craft, while about 30 will be trained this year 2026.

He added that the institute chose 5 people with disabilities to work on permanent projects at the institute to empower them, exploit the energies of people with disabilities, and integrate them into society.

In turn, the head of the Wissam Al-Ataa Charitable Society, Sanaa Al-Damasa, said that the association, which was founded in 2014, is concerned with supporting and caring for people with disabilities, through establishing a pioneering center for special education since 2022, which accommodated about 35 cases of people with disabilities from the age of 6-18 years, accredited by the Ministry of Education.

Al-Damasa called for the establishment of an early intervention unit due to the importance of these services in improving the lives of children with disabilities, as well as a center specializing in persons with disabilities aged 18 years and above so that they can obtain the support they need to achieve their full potential.

In turn, the Moab Plains Charitable Association cares about the deaf and hard of hearing category, believing in their full right to access services and effective community participation without obstacles.

The association’s president, Maryam Al-Fuqaha, stated that about 40 deaf people benefited from the association’s services, through integrated programs aimed at raising the level of awareness, providing psychological support, and promoting community integration.

She indicated that the association regularly carries out awareness and educational sessions in sign language, and provides individual and group psychological support that suits the needs of deaf people and their methods of communication, in addition to implementing a community advocacy and awareness campaign entitled (Understand Me) to spread awareness of the rights of deaf people and promote sign language as a basic means of communication.

She explained that the association provided a certified sign language interpreter, which ensured the delivery of awareness messages and focused on inclusion and institutional participation, while the association includes two deaf members of the general body, which reflects its commitment to involving them in decision-making and not just as beneficiaries of services.

It is noteworthy that there are government efforts to support people with disabilities by disbursing monthly aid to them, supporting their families, adopting the inclusive education program in the Ministry of Education’s schools, ensuring that streets, squares and buildings are rehabilitated to be suitable for them, and allocating a percentage for them in government appointments, in implementation of the Law on the Rights of People with Disabilities in Jordan.

In Tafila Governorate, care and rehabilitation efforts are integrated through government centers and charities, as the Tafila Comprehensive Day Services Center provides free services including physical therapy, early intervention, occupational therapy, speech and language, and family counseling programs, while the Tafila Shelter Center provides care and rehabilitation services to about 93 beneficiaries within integrated programs for rehabilitation and daily life. The Directorate of Education also implements inclusive education programs in ten government schools, benefiting about 270 male and female students.

The Sons of Tafila Charitable Society for Special Education provides rehabilitation and health programs and training in handicrafts, agriculture and home industries, in a way that enhances the opportunities for economic independence for beneficiaries.

In Aqaba Governorate, clear and growing efforts continue to support persons with disabilities, rehabilitate them, and activate their participation in the local community, including social services, vocational training, community integration, and economic facilities, through cooperation between governmental and local institutions, the private sector, and community initiatives.

The Director of Local Community Development at the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, Waseem Al-Jarabaa, said that the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority, in cooperation with the Supreme Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, is working to provide all necessary facilities and implement specialized workshops and training programs targeting families of people with disabilities and specialists in dealing with them, which contributes to enhancing the quality of services provided and improving support and integration mechanisms for this group.

Al-Jaraba added that these efforts come within the vision of the Aqaba Special Economic Zone Authority to enhance the societal and economic integration of people with disabilities, and to create a supportive environment that enables them to exercise their rights and actively participate in various aspects of life, stressing that building the capabilities of families and specialists is an essential pillar for ensuring the sustainability of services and achieving a real development impact in the governorate.

Director of the Our Lady of Peace Center for People with Disabilities, Rami Abu Dawla, said that the center provides free, integrated services that include training and rehabilitation, psychological support, and job training, in addition to guidance and early intervention programs for children from 4 to 14 years old, according to specialized plans that take into account individual differences and the needs of each case.

He added that the center includes a vocational department that focuses on training beneficiaries in the production kitchen and qualifying them practically to keep pace with the requirements of the labor market, noting that the trainees obtain accredited certificates, with support and partnerships with governmental, private and international entities and companies, which contributes to enhancing opportunities for economic integration and job independence for people with disabilities.

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