The Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) signed agreements on Sunday with Amman Arab University and the Arab Open University to improve accessibility for students with disabilities.
The memoranda of understanding (MoUs), which aim to provide technical support and promote inclusive education practices, were signed by HCD President HRH Prince Mired Bin Raad, Amman Arab University President Mohammad Al-Widyan, and Arab Open University President Tahrir Hamdi. Omar Al-Jazy, Chair of the Board of Trustees at Amman Arab University, also attended the signing ceremony.
Prince Mired emphasized the council’s commitment to supporting higher education institutions by offering ongoing technical and knowledge-based assistance to ensure full integration of students with disabilities and to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities within these institutions.
The MoUs align with the legal obligations of higher education institutions under Articles 21 and 22 of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Law No. 20 of 2017, as well as the principles in Article 4, which mandate the provision of reasonable accommodation, accessible formats, and inclusive design to enable equal access to education.
The agreements also fulfill part of the implementation plan for commitments made by both universities during the Third Global Disability Summit, co-hosted by His Majesty King Abdullah II and the German Chancellor in April 2025 in Berlin.
Under the agreements, HCD will support the universities in several key areas, including upgrading infrastructure to comply with national accessibility building codes; embedding inclusive education concepts and disability rights into curricula; enhancing communication strategies with students with disabilities; ensuring e-learning platforms are fully accessible for students with disabilities; providing learning materials in accessible formats such as Braille, large print, simplified electronic text, and sign language; and automating student services to improve access.
The MoUs also stipulate the establishment of dedicated “Access Centers” at each university to provide academic, psychological, and administrative support to students with disabilities, as well as offering tuition discounts.
