Amman, August 19 (Petra) - The Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) released its July achievements report on Wednesday, outlining progress in international diplomacy, quality assurance, accessible infrastructure, and community integration.
In July, Amman hosted an Arab regional conference to follow up on the 2025 Global Disability Summit. It came up with recommendations to accelerate the implementation of the Amman–Berlin Declaration, reinforcing Jordan's leadership in driving regional disability rights initiatives.
Additionally, the HCD’s national standards for services catering to individuals with intellectual disabilities and Autism Spectrum Disorder earned international accreditation from the International Society for Quality in Health Care External Evaluation Association (ISQua EEA) for 2026–2030. The standards achieved a 96 percent compliance rating with global requirements.
To safeguard the right to accessible travel, the HCD signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Civil Aviation Regulatory Commission. The agreement focuses on updating air transport legislation, modernizing airport facilities to meet international accessibility standards, training airport staff, and improving complaint resolution mechanisms.
Operationally, the HCD’s technical teams conducted 24 physical site inspections in July to ensure compliance with accessibility standards. Inspected locations included 10 government buildings, four archaeological and tourist sites in Madaba, one private sector facility, and a public park.
The HCD also organized 28 specialized training programs for 846 professionals across day-care centers, schools, and public service providers. The sessions covered effective communication, sign language, behavior modification, sexual and reproductive health awareness, and inclusive education.
In partnership with the organization AIDOS, the Council also hosted a rights and violence-prevention awareness workshop for 200 civil society women. Furthermore, a high-level official delegation from Indonesia visited Jordan under a trilateral cooperation framework involving Jordan, Indonesia, and Germany (funded by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ)) to exchange expertise on economic empowerment and South-South inclusion strategies.
The Council also extended its university accessibility initiatives, delivering training on universal design and architectural adaptation to 36 faculty members, technical personnel, and students with disabilities at Mutah University, Tafila Technical University, and Hashemite University.
In official legislative developments, the government published the 2026 Instructions for Accrediting Translators before Notaries Public in the Official Gazette. The new regulations mandate that only sign language interpreters licensed by the HCD be authorized to facilitate official transactions for deaf individuals.
The Council also reviewed and resolved 191 inquiries and grievances submitted through various communication channels during the month.
Finally, advancing Jordan's strategy to move from institutional care toward family and community-based living, three residents from the Karak Care and Rehabilitation Center were successfully reintegrated with their families. Supporting these care standards, the Council’s specialized committees conducted 12 monitoring visits regarding psychiatric medication management in care facilities and performed three licensing inspections for early intervention and residential centers.
//Petra// HA
