People With Disabilities Enhance Civic Engagement in Jordan

Disability Pride Month, celebrated in July, commemorates the achievements of people with disabilities worldwide. Over one billion people, or about 16 percent of the world population, have some type of disability. People with disabilities often face unique challenges to accessing political spaces and being appropriately represented in political decision making. Because their needs are often different from those of other citizens, they face numerous barriers when trying to advocate for their rights through political and civic engagement. The National Democratic Institute's (NDI) work in Jordan has long aimed to support the collective priorities of activists, politicians, and citizens with disabilities, and recent months have seen a number of great advances in disability advocacy in the country.

People with disabilities are among the most excluded groups in Jordanian politics. This is primarily due to systemic factors that hinder the ability of people with disabilities to access and engage with the political process. Members of the disability community have particular and diverse needs that are often not met by the infrastructure, education system, and policies in Jordan, such as a lack of accessible infrastructure in public spaces, underrepresentation in professional and educational spaces, and insufficient psycho-social support. Under the Civic and Political Strengthening (CAPS) Activity, NDI's Takafo'-81 program aims to address these challenges. With "Takafo" meaning "equality" in Arabic and "81" signifying the license plate code used by people with disabilities in Jordan, this program was initiated in 2023 to work with and support the disability community. Through training sessions, discussion forums, and advocacy campaigns, Takafo'-81 works with people with disabilities to build civic engagement skills and encourage them to actively participate in both civil society and politics to impact decisions that affect their daily lives.

Since the beginning of 2024, Takafo'-81 has conducted a wide range of activities to enhance the political engagement of people with disabilities. To start the year off, five forums were organized around Jordan in which graduates showcased their achievements and advocated for their needs in conversation with the Independent Election Commission (IEC), the body in charge of independently running elections, the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), the highest office in Jordan focused on the rights of people with disabilities, and parliamentary officials. In each forum, Takafo'-81 graduates were able to voice their demands for changes that need to be made to better enable their community's political participation. Graduates emphasized the necessity for the IEC, in partnership with the HCD, to engage people with diverse disabilities in volunteering and monitoring opportunities on election day.

The program also provided a number of training sessions to help people with disabilities develop the skills for engaging in political and civic issues. Earlier this year, Takafo'-81 conducted capacity strengthening trainings on a wide range of topics tailored to enhance the political participation of people with disabilities, including educational sessions on the newly ratified elections law, recent changes to the political parties law, and the 2017 law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which codifies the protection of inherent rights, dignity, and individual autonomy of people with disabilities. Additionally, NDI organized five training workshops on debate skills to support the participation of people with disabilities in the Institute's flagship National Debate Competition for participants from across Jordan. Several participants then went on to represent the Takafo'-81 program in the National Debate Competition.

The impact of these program activities is clear. Upon being surveyed, 93% of participants said they gained new knowledge from the program. By equipping them with the political knowledge and skills necessary to advocate for their needs, participants are empowered to take action and achieve concrete outcomes. Some of the most profound outcomes have come by way of the launch of several advocacy campaigns demanding better public services and infrastructure to support the civic lives of people with disabilities in Jordan.

One such campaign, called "Prepare the Infrastructure for Us," visited the Chamber of Commerce in Irbid to introduce its demand: to make public spaces, infrastructure, and roads accessible to people with disabilities by fully activating Article 35 of the 2017 Law on Rights of Persons with Disabilities. In response to their visit, a dedicated accessible pathway was provided for people with disabilities to enter the building.

Another campaign, titled "Help Me Reach", has focused on enhancing accessibility for people with disabilities within governmental facilities in the city of Tafilah. A big win for this campaign came in the form of the recent allocation of $56,400 (40,000 Jordanian dinars) by the mayor of Al-Qadisiyah Municipality towards the renovation of a public hall, which will include customizations to better accommodate the needs of people with disabilities in the district.

The "We Are Alike" campaign in Ma'an marked a major milestone in its overarching goal to activate disability rights. Thanks to the campaign's advocacy, the Petra Region Directorate of Social Development will implement accessibility measures, including the installation of a bell system to facilitate communication and assistance for people with disabilities at hard to access locations across the directorate. This system enables them to request assistance without having to navigate physical barriers, like flights of stairs. These campaigns highlight that while laws protecting disability rights exist in Jordan, they are not adequately being implemented. By bringing attention to the importance of these laws, citizens can create systemic change.

Participants still experience institutional, attitudinal, and physical barriers, which limit their ability to receive equitable treatment under the law and navigate public spaces, many of which remain inaccessible to people with diverse disabilities. The many recent successes through programs like Takafo'-81, however, indicate a positive shift in momentum in increasing support for disability rights in Jordan. The presence of laws that protect the rights of people with disabilities in Jordan indicates a fundamental understanding of the unique needs of people with disabilities and an existent political will to address the specific barriers to participation people with diverse disabilities face in Jordan. The challenge faced by the disability community is holding government stakeholders accountable to ensure the implementation and enforcement of these laws. Disability awareness and visibility are paramount to this struggle. When people with disabilities are supported in using their voices towards political action, the results are evident. Takafo'-81 aims to continue supporting people with disabilities to engage with their communities and political surroundings to make meaningful change.

Author: Anjay Stone, Temporary Project Assistant for the Middle East and North Africa

NDI's Takafo'- 81 program is implemented with support from the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Consortium for Elections and Political Process Strengthening (CEPPS).

Related Stories:

Amplifying the Voices of Women Leaders with Disabilities

How Citizen Participation is Key to Environmental Sustainability in Lebanon

Partnering with the Disability Community and Parliament to Promote Inclusion

###

NDI is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-governmental organization that works in partnership around the world to strengthen and safeguard democratic institutions, processes, norms and values to secure a better quality of life for all. NDI envisions a world where democracy and freedom prevail, with dignity for all.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.