The Ministry:
The Ministry of Social Development

The Minister:
The Minister of Social Development

The Disabled Person:
Any person with a permanent, partial or total impairment in any of his senses or physical, psychological or mental abilities to the extent that the ability to learn to be rehabilitated or to work, is limited in a way which renders him/her short of fulfilling his/her normal daily requirements in circumstances similar to those of able-bodied persons.

The Council:
The National Council for the Affairs of Disabled Persons” established under the provisions of this Law.

Special Education:
Educational and teaching services offered to disabled persons for the purpose of fulfilling their needs, developing their capabilities and helping them integrate into the society.

Rehabilitation:
The services and activities, that enable the disabled person to pursue his/her life in a better manner on the physical, social, intellectual, psychological and vocational levels.

Article (3)

The philosophy of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan with regard to its disabled citizens springs forth from Arab-Islamic values, the Jordanian constitution, the National Charter, the Laws governing education and higher education, the World Declaration on Human Rights, and the International Declaration on Disabled Persons; and stresses the following principles:

A. The right of disabled persons to be integrated into the general life of the society.
B. The right of disabled persons to education and higher education commensurate with his/her abilities
C. The right of disabled persons to employment commensurate with their capabilities and qualifications, and their right to sports and recreation.
D. The right of disabled persons to Preventative Health Care and Medical Treatment.
E. The right of disabled
persons to a suitable environment that allows them freedom of movement and transportation in a safe and secure manner.
F. The right of disabled persons to obtain such aids, equipment and materials that assist them in education, training, movement and transportation.
G. The right of those who have multiple and severe disabilities to education, training and rehabilitation.
H. The right of needy parents with disabled dependents to relief, welfare and support services.
I. The right of disabled persons to participate in decision making pertaining to them.

Article (4)

The Ministry in cooperation with the other Ministries, Governmental Departments and all parties concerned with the Welfare and Education of disabled persons, shall work towards the provision by these parties of their services and programmes for the welfare of disabled persons, including the following:

A. The Ministry

1. Shall provide the social assessment required for the determination of the nature and degree of the disability.
2. The Ministry shall provide to those with multiple and severe disabilities the special services for the disabled persons in the fields of welfare, care, relief and training, as well as the family and information services.
3. The Ministry shall supervise and license all institutions and centres in the public and private sectors concerned with the rehabilitation, welfare and relief of disabled persons.

B. The Ministry of Education

1. Shall provide the educational assessment required for the determination of the nature and degree of disability.
2. the Ministry of Education shall provide primary and all forms of secondary education for disabled persons as commensurate with their capabilities, among which the educational provisions that include programmes of special education.
3. Every educational establishment in the public and private sectors concerned with the education and teaching of disabled persons, shall be considered a school, to be licensed and supervised by the Ministry of Education.

C. The Ministry of Higher Education and the governmental and non-governmental Institutes for Higher Education.

1. Shall provide opportunities for disabled persons to exercise their rights to such education as commensurate with their capabilities and potential.
2. The Ministry of Higher Education shall work towards the training of qualified technical staff to work with the various categories of disabled persons.

D. The Ministry of Health and the Royal Medical Services
each in their fields of specialisation shall provide the following:

1. The special preventative, curative, physical and mental health services pertinent to disabled persons.
2. The medical diagnosis and classification services required for determining the nature and degree of disability, in cooperation with the Ministry.
3. Free of charge health insurance cards for needy disabled persons and their dependents who are not covered by any other health insurance scheme, according to regulations issued for this purpose.

E. The Ministry of Information
shall, through its various organs, involve itself with disabled persons and emphasise the importance of integrating disabled persons into the society.

F. The Ministry of Labour and the Vocational Training Corporation
shall provide:
1. The programmes and plans and the evaluation services, necessary to achieve the appropriate vocational training for disabled persons, and the development of their capabilities and the creation of appropriate employment opportunities, and the support for protected workshop projects.
2. Public and private sector establishments and companies employing between 25 and 50 workers shall employ 1 (one) disabled person; if the number of workers in any of these establishments exceeds 50, disabled workers should account for 2%; provided that the type of disability is not inconsistent with the nature of the work in the establishment.

G. The Ministry of Youth shall provide for young disabled persons the opportunities for sports and recreation in playgrounds and halls, as well as the equipment, to satisfy their needs and develop their capabilities.

Article (5)

A. All educational and medical materials, assistive devices, tools, instruments and their requisite parts, and means of transport required by the schools, establishments and programmes for disabled persons and individual or collective production projects owned and managed by disabled persons, and the means of transport which are especially adapted for the use of disabled persons, shall be exempted from customs and import duties and all other fees and taxes, at the recommendation of the Minister, and subject to the terms to be agreed upon between the Ministry and the General Customs Department.
B. Centres and establishments for the welfare of disabled persons, belonging to the government or charitable societies shall be exempted from the buildings, lands and education taxes imposed on the real estates owned by such centres, and shall be exempted from the registration fees for the real estates they own, and any other revenues or royalties for improvements, and fees collected by any Municipality or Rural Council in the Kingdom, as long as these real estates are being used for services for disabled persons; the exemption shall be issued at the discretion of the Minister.

Education:

We provide elementary education for grades one through six. Our emphasis is not only on academic training but also on the interpersonal skills necessary for integration of children into mainstream schools.
Our philosophy is that all children have the right to be educated and integrated as early as possible. In addition to the government curriculum we have music and physical education classes.
Individual differences in learning abilities among our children are

addressed in our resource room. Additionally the children are offered extra curricular activities such as art workshops, cultural enrichments and class work related outings as the center encourages active learning. Children should not be denied the possibility of personal development and the benefit of knowledge and skills because they suffer impairments.

Medical Rehabilitation:

This division is comprised of nine separate departments that follow a multi-disciplinary approach; home programs, parent/staff meetings, training and educational programs for concerned individuals. These specialized departments are as follows:

Orthotic Department During the last six years, the German organization, CBM (Christoffel-BlindenMission), has rendered financial and technical support which has greatly upgraded this department. Under the direction of a trained specialist from France, braces and other orthotic aids are manufactured or repaired. Wheelchairs and equipment are modified to meet the individual student’s needs for maximum mobility. Training Jordanians in the field of orthotics and prosthesis is another important function of this department.

The nursing staff concentrates on training students and parents in the area of toiletting including specialized bowel and bladder management programs. They also treat pressure sores and address other general health matters.

Early Intervention Program (EIP) This program allows us to start working with children at an early age and on an individual basis through intervention and prevention of deformities and complications from birth up to six years of age.
A special therapeutic program is set up in accordance with each individual case. The department consists of an occupational therapist, physiotherapist, a nurse and a playgroup leader and provision for services of clinics and other departments as needed. Parental involvement is an essential precondition for the success of this program.

Psychological/Social Counselor

The counselor assesses the student’s psychological status, conducts individual and group sessions and counsels family members whenever psychological support and guidance is needed. She visits mainstream schools to conduct awareness sessions for staff and children.

Dietitian

The dietitian assesses each student’s nutritional needs according to their physical disability and general health condition. Follow-up sessions with family members are conducted to monitor the effects of the child’s diet and make adjustments when necessary.

In addition, seven clinics are held:

• Physical Medicine Rehabilitation

• Orthopedic

• Pediatric

• Neurological

• Optometry

• Dental

• Urology

A combined assessment by doctors and therapists insure accurate diagnosis, therapy and follow-up.

Outreach:

The function of this important division is to reach out to physically challenged individuals in Amman, Palestinian Refugee Camps and remote areas of Jordan where services are either minimal or unavailable.

The Community - Based Rehabilitation (CBR)

The CBR Team consists of physical therapists, occupational therapists and a community development Social Worker. Their work is to…

• deliver therapy services to rural areas and refugee camps.

• assess and instruct families in the management of children with physical disabilities.

• develop training courses for local volunteers on how to follow up with the physical management programs, and how to facilitate mainstream school integration.

• raise awareness in communities and schools regarding disability issues.

• facilitate physically challenged children’s inclusion into mainstream schools.

• assist and advise in the initiation of community programs.

	The Mobile Clinic At the request of a village community, a rehabilitation team will visit the area in the mobile clinic vehicle equipped with an orthotic   and rehabilitation workshop.
This team is usually composed of specialists from various departments and other NGO/s that also deal with disabilities to provide rehabilitation aids, equipment and advice to those in need.

Portage Program This is an educational program to train mothers on how to handle their disabled children (from birth up to nine years of age) in their own environment.
Therefore, our Portage workers are trained to work with parents, especially mothers, and children in their own homes on how to provide appropriate stimulation and training in all aspects of development to infants and young children with difficulties.

Sheltered Sewing Workshops: Physically challenged adults are trained in designing and tailoring children’s clothes and various other textile items such as curtains, bed sheets, etc. Kenz,
the Center’s store, is the outlet for these products. Many of the trainees carry on as salaried workers at AHS.