Types of Institutions and the People in Them

Based on information shared by public officials, Lebanon had the largest number of residential institutions (at least 102), followed by Saudi Arabia (at least 51)[1], Jordan (34), Palestine (6), Yemen (6), Iraq (4), Syria (2)[2], Qatar (2), Oman (1) and Bahrain (1). The public official from Morocco said the country had “five or six” residential institutions but noted that these institutions were for abandoned persons generally, not specifically for persons with disabilities.

In the EGM, Sudan’s representative stated that residential institutions were not an accepted concept in Sudan; rather, they had foster families who adopted children under 15. Similar to Sudan, the representative from Mauritania confirmed that there were no residential institutions in Mauritania; however, the public official reported a total of 25 institutions that provided teaching and day-care services for persons with disabilities. The number of residential institutions in Tunisia was inconclusive: the public official provided a total count of institutions of 323 but did not differentiate between residential and non-residential institutions.

Institution Types

According to interviews with public officials, non-state-run residential institutions (including private non-profit institutions, private for-profit institutions, and institutions run by NGOs) outnumber state-run residential institutions in Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine and Yemen. In contrast, officials from Bahrain, Qatar and Oman reported that their countries exclusively had state-run residential institutions, though it is notable that these states reported low numbers of residential institutions generally. Of Iraq’s four reported residential institutions, two were state-run and two were non-state run. Of Saudi Arabia’s 51 reported residential institutions, 50 were state-run and one was non-profit, though the public official lacked data on private institutions. According to information provided by Jordan’s HCD, there are currently 27 private and 5 governmental and nongovernmental (volunteer) institutions for persons with disabilities in Jordan.

In Jordan, all public institutions serve persons with a range of different disabilities, though two boarding schools exist for blind and deaf persons. In the State of Palestine, two reported institutions were for persons with visual impairments and the remaining four catered to persons with various types of disabilities. According to the public official from Morocco, there are five public institutions that provide residential accommodation for persons with disabilities, though these institutions are not exclusively for persons with disabilities, but for orphans and abandoned persons of all abilities. One of these institutions in Morocco provided specialized care for persons with visual impairments. The Yemeni official reported two institutions for persons with visual impairments, two institutions for persons with physical impairments, one institution for persons with visual and physical impairments, and one “mixed” institution. Five of these six institutions are boarding schools designed for school-age children with disabilities. 

Institutions were of varying sizes: according to interviews with the directors of institutions, the total number of residents in institutions ranged from 5 to 100 residents in private institutions, and from 30 and 300 residents in public institutions.

Institutionalized Persons with Disabilities

Reported numbers of institutionalized persons with disabilities country-wide were as follows: Saudi Arabia (7,815), Lebanon (1,842), Jordan (1,471), Iraq (360), Yemen (282), the Sultanate of Oman (69), Syria (23) and Bahrain (22) (see table 2). Other countries did not have data on the total number of persons with disabilities living in institutions. 

Persons living in institutions had different types of disabilities. Cases of intellectual and cognitive disabilities were predominant at institutions in Jordan, Morocco, Qatar, Tunisia, and Syria. Physical disabilities were predominant in institutions in Iraq. 

Gender

In Iraq, Jordan, Oman, and Tunisia the number of institutionalized males was higher than that of females. While the majority of directors of institutions reported a higher number of males in mixed institutions, and there were more male-only institutions overall, Saudi Arabia, the State of Palestine and Yemen had more females in institutions.  In Jordan, as of 2018, the total number of institutionalized persons with disabilities in Jordan comprised 1,045 (71 per cent) males and 426 (29 per cent) females. Other countries did not have statistics pertaining to sex. 

Marital Status

Interviews indicated that few persons with disabilities living in institutions were married or in a relationship. Directors from four private and public institutions said that a maximum of 15 per cent of resident persons with disabilities were either married or divorced. 

Nationality

Only heads of institutions in Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and Tunisia reported hosting non-nationals, although most directors did not report restrictions on nationality for admission to their institutions. Institutions in Jordan were the only ones that reported hosting large numbers of non-nationals. 51 per cent were Jordanians and the rest were from Saudi Arabia (34 per cent), Libya (6 per cent), Syria (2 per cent), Palestine (2 per cent), Iraq (1 per cent), Kuwait (1 per cent), or others (3 per cent). At the institution in Saudi Arabia, 10 per cent of residents were Syrians and Yemenis.  Two institutions in Lebanon hosted a relatively small number of Syrians and Palestinians. One of the institutions in Tunisia hosted Syrians with disabilities as well. 

Age

Many persons with disabilities were admitted before the age of four and had spent between 30 and 55 years at the institution. At five institutions, persons with disabilities were only admitted at or above the age of three and were expected to leave at 18 to 20 years old. Public officials from Bahrain, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria and Yemen noted that residential homes for the elderly accommodate elderly persons with disabilities. 

Orphans and Abandoned Persons

Many directors reported a significant number of orphaned and abandoned persons with disabilities. At institutions in Egypt and Iraq, the majority of residents with disabilities were orphaned or abandoned. A director of an institution in the State of Palestine reported that 16 out of 22 persons with disabilities living at the center were orphaned, abandoned or had unknown parents. An average of 10 to 15 per cent of persons with disabilities in institutions in Jordan and Lebanon were orphaned or abandoned.  Directors of institutions in the United Arab Emirates and Yemen also reported a large number of orphans and abandoned persons. In Tunisia, “persons with no families,” accounted for 43 per cent of institutionalized persons with disabilities. Very few institutions had no orphans or abandoned persons with disabilities. 

Socio-Economic Status

The majority of other institutions reported that families came primarily from poor socio-economic backgrounds. Directors of private non-profit and for-profit institutions in Jordan noted that families of persons with disabilities were relatively well off. Institutions that cared for a high number of orphans with disabilities, such as Egypt and Iraq, lacked information on the socio-economic status of their residents’ families.