Responsible Administrative Bodies

Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities (HCAPD)

The most relevant national administrative body in relation to persons with disabilities is the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities (HCAPD), which was formed in 2007 pursuant to Law No. 31 of that year. HCAPD is a public, financially and administratively independent council located in Amman whose president is appointed by royal decree. Members of the Higher Council are officials from the Ministry of Social Development, the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Education, the Greater Amman Municipality, the Higher Council for Youth and the Jordan Paralympic Committee. Members of the Council also include representatives of persons with disabilities. 

Pursuant to Article 7 of Law No. 31, the duties of HCAPD include the following:

  1. Formulating national plans and policies relevant to persons with disabilities;
  2. Following up and executing the National Disability Strategy; 
  3. Proposing any amendments to legislation on persons with disabilities;
  4. Creating centres for services and research on disabilities;
  5. Setting public standards for programmes and services offered to persons with disabilities.

It is worth noting that, while the Higher Council is expected to follow up on the implementation of policies relating to persons with disabilities, it does not have an explicit monitoring role vis-à-vis the different ministries and national institutions. 

Law No. 31 provides succinct information on the sources of financial resources for HCAPD, which include, for example, allocations in the State budget, 10 per cent of the Jordan Welfare Lottery, donations, grants, gifts and legacies to the Council. However, neither the National Strategy nor Law No. 31 provides clear information on the size and allocation of the HCAPD budget. Similarly, no information on budgetary allocations for programmes relating to persons with disabilities is available at the level of sector ministries.

The National Aid Fund

The National Aid Fund is a governmental agency that was established in 1986 to protect and assist needy individuals and households. Among other aims, it plays a key role in providing persons with disabilities with cash assistance and, to a lesser extent, training. Contrary to HCAPD, its focus is on service provision rather than social policymaking. The main programmes of the Fund targeting persons with disabilities include the Handicapped Care Aid, which provides cash assistance to families with children with disabilities; the Physical Rehabilitation Aid, which provides persons with disabilities with cash assistance to purchase rehabilitation equipments; and the Vocational Rehabilitation Training, which provides persons with disabilities with training opportunities. In addition, persons with disabilities are eligible to apply to the recurrent financial aids of the National Aid Fund.

In 2007, a total of 3.15 million Jordan dinars (or US$4.45 million) was allocated to programmes for persons with disabilities. This amount represents approximately 5.5 per cent of the Fund’s budget. Most of the Fund’s spending for persons with disabilities was allocated in cash assistance programmes. Specifically, the budget of Handicapped Care Aid amounted to some 3 million Jordan dinars compared to 15,000 Jordan dinars for Vocational Rehabilitation Training. The budget distribution for 2007 seems to indicate therefore that the Fund favours assistance to persons with disabilities over empowerment.

Non-Governmental Organizations

Aside from governmental bodies, a few associations are also devoted to advancing the cause of persons with disabilities. The most active association is the Al-Hussein Society for the Habilitation/Rehabilitation of the Physically Challenged (AHS), which is a non-governmental organization (NGO) working with individuals affected by physical ‎disabilities. It was established in 1971 and began its work by supporting State-run orphanages. Over the years, AHS evolved into the leading organization in Jordan, ‎providing rehabilitation and educational services to persons with physical ‎disabilities. AHS has developed school classes that are accommodated for students with physical disabilities and are run in cooperation with the Ministry of Education. These classes cater to persons with physical disabilities residing in Amman and Zarqa, from kindergarten to the elementary level. Graduating students from AHS are linked to public schools in their communities, with whom AHS jointly organizes rehabilitation programmes. Moreover, AHS provides follow-up services to its students during the year following their integration in public schools.

This chapter indicated that policy documents in Jordan addressing disability and the social inclusion of persons with disabilities tend to adopt a rights-based approach, thereby emphasizing equity concerns. Chapter IV turns to sectoral policies in specific areas of social development, including health, education, employment and social protection. It presents the situation on the ground for persons with disabilities and examines the policy and practical responses provided by the Government aimed at facilitating the equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities. The availability, accessibility, adaptability and acceptability of social services for persons with disabilities are assessed within that framework.