HCD 2020 report outlines achievements, challenges facing people with disabilities

AMMAN — A total of 116 students — 51 males, 65 females —were admitted into the consolidated enrollment programme for students with disabilities at public universities, according to the annual report of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) for the year 2020.

Of the students admitted, 48 have a physical disability, 30 have a hearing disability, 36 have visual impairment and two have mental health disabilities.

The HCD issued its 2020 annual institutional report on Monday, outlining its roles, assignments and accomplishments in 2020, as well as the most significant challenges it faced in designing policies, monitoring plan execution with authorities, and providing technical and service support to various parties.

Muhannad Al Azzeh, the secretary general of the council, said that the pandemic presented a real challenge and a test for people with disabilities. It was found that further efforts are needed to ensure the comprehensiveness of emergency services and pandemic control measures in which people with disabilities are included, Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Azzeh stated that the council, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, established guidelines for the preventive and curative isolation of individuals with disabilities, according to Jordan News Agency, Petra.

According to the report, the HDC signed an agreement with the “Habayebna” platform during the pandemic to support the calls project programme, which helps families of people with developmental disabilities and autism to communicate with occupational therapists, speech therapists, special educators and psychologists.

A total of 400 individuals with learning disabilities and autism have benefited from these programmes.

The Habayebna platform was used to provide psychological and social counselling services to individuals with autism and their families, the report stated.

The report indicated that during the pandemic, medical supplies were donated by the Korean Agency for International Cooperation to associations of people with disabilities in different governorates throughout the Kingdom.

A hotline service to respond to questions and demands and an electronic portal for submitting applications for obtaining permits for people with disabilities were established in collaboration with authorities. 

In collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), the HCD is launching a 10-year strategy for inclusive education (2019-2029) and creating an implementation plan for the first three years of the strategy, as per the report.

The HCD is conducting a study to track the handling of school curricula (national and international) at all educational stages of persons with disabilities’ and their rights and issues, according to the report. The council has also provided audio curricula for students with visual impairments during the pandemic, as well as school curricula in sign language for deaf students in many grades.

The report stated that during the time from January 1, 2020 to December 31, 2020, the council’s team conducted five surprise inspection visits to centres in coordination with authorities.