By Nour Haddad l
A sunny spring afternoon in central Amman is redefined as Al Hussein Cultural Center’s courtyard is brought to life. Wheelchair-bound kids laughed as they painted colorful murals alongside their abled counterparts, volunteers signed for a deaf youth choir singing in Jordanian Sign Language, and disabled business owners got the opportunity to showcase their own handicraft local products proudly. It’s not only a victory for society — it’s the promise of an even greater transformation over Jordan: towards universal inclusion, dignity, and potential of the disabled. Disability rights activists in Jordan have struggled for decades in an attempt to advance equal rights and access. Now, with a boost from increased public awareness, better law-making and education policy for all, their struggle is setting record progress — and changing lives in the process.
A New Legal Framework for Access and Rights
History was made in 2017 when Jordan enacted the Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities No. 20, a historical piece of legislation grounded in the social model of disability — a model of disability that acknowledges that people are not disabled by their impairment but by inaccessible environments and discriminatory attitudes.
One of the country’s most progressive laws is one guaranteeing equal access to education, employment, public transport, and medical care. The public and private sectors must also provide their services — from braille road signs to wheelchair ramps.
“Not that we didn’t exist before this law,” says wheelchair-user Rami Shuqair, an access consultant. “But now we have a voice backed up by rights in law — and a society slowly getting used to listening.”
Education Without Barriers
Most ambitious of the law’s objectives is arguably inclusive education. Pilot programs to instruct teachers, ready schools, and integrate disabled students into regular classrooms were launched by the Education Ministry, reports the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD).
Blind fifth-grader Yara reads braille from her textbook easily at one Irbid elementary school. “I love school,” she says. “My teacher teaches me my way, and my friends help me if I need them.”.
In order to achieve this change, the Inclusive Education Policy financed by UNICEF is aiming to enroll 10,000 disabled children into inclusive schools by 2030. Special education is now being taught in Jordanian universities, and resource rooms are being implemented in schools throughout the country.
Empowerment Through Employment
Financial independence is a hill too high for too many disabled individuals to climb. For this reason, work training and enterprise programs are increasing — and expensive.
One of them is Tamkeen Fields for Aid, offering vocational training in computer graphics, cooking, and handicraft to disabled individuals. Another is UNHCR-supported Access to Inclusive Employment Project, hiring refugees and disabled Jordanians on the payrolls of locally owned firms.
Deaf Sara Abu Shaar, for instance, has just opened her own bakery shop in Zarqa with the assistance of one such program. “I felt like I was excluded,” she recalls through a sign-language interpreter familiar with her work. “Now, I feel like I’m part of it — and I can give back.”
Changing Perceptions, One Story at a Time
Opinion too is changing, in part no small thanks to awareness programs, arts programs, and the media. Al Hussein Society for the Habilitation/Rehabilitation of the Physically Challenged and others are making films, plays, and public information messages regarding ability, not disability.
Jordan. The 2022 Ramadan TV campaign, for instance, employed abled-bodied disabled celebrities to tell their own stories and urging the public to shatter the myths. “The more we see us, the more we will be accepted,” quotes deaf campaign actor Hamdan. “Inclusion starts with visibility.”
The country is also witnessing increased representation on the sporting field. Jordan’s Paralympics team has been making headlines across the globe with their winning streak in the form of medal wins at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
Yes, there is much to be done — and it’s no exaggeration to say that the rural communities and most vulnerable are at the front of the queue — but the passion is real. From Ajloun to Amman, people with disabilities are no longer an afterthought. It’s a national discourse, conducted by brave hearts and underpinned by policy change.
“Charity is a mode of inclusion,” Higher Council’s Dr. Maha Al-Tarawneh declares. “It’s justice. It’s unleashing hidden potential that has been there for centuries.”
And thanks to the teachers, defenders, and champions of Jordan’s Kingdom — that potential is now thriving everywhere around Jordan.
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