King visits Bunayat Centre for Special Education

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday visited the Bunayat Centre for Special Education, which provides education, training, and vocational rehabilitation services for people with mild and moderate intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder.

His Majesty was briefed by HRH Princess Sarvath El Hassan, founder and honorary president of the Young Muslim Women’s Association and the Bunayat Centre for Special Education affiliated with it, on the centre’s role in helping students increase their self-reliance, qualifying them academically and professionally, and preparing them to engage in the labour market, a Royal Court statement said. 

Princess Sarvath talked about the centre’s programmes and services, which include academic programmes, daily life skills development, extracurricular activities, counselling, behaviour modification, and integration into regular schools, as well as networking with institutions to provide students with employment opportunities.

Her Royal Highness also highlighted the centre’s community awareness efforts, which include communication with parents of children with disabilities and the provision of support services, such as meetings and courses, to empower them to manage and help their children, according to the statement. 

The centre has received ‘gold’ accreditation from the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and has multiple departments that cater to students based on their age and disability. Students over the age of 18 are trained in vocational skills such as ceramics, mosaics, carpentry, weaving, agriculture and nutrition.

During the visit, the King was briefed on the services and vocational activities offered to the centre’s 190 students, and visited a number of departments and classrooms, including ones dedicated to occupational therapy, vocational rehabilitation, autism spectrum disorder, and home economics, as well as the computer lab.

His Majesty was accompanied by Royal Hashemite Court Chief Yousef Issawi, Director of the Office of His Majesty Alaa Batayneh, and Minister of Education and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Azmi Mahafzah.