His Royal Highness Prince Mired Raad Zeid Al-Hussein Lord Chamberlain and President of the Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), recognised on Tuesday institutions granted accreditation based on national standards for services for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorders, in the presence of Minister of Social Development Wafa Bani Mustafa.
Four centres received the gold category recognition certificate: Sayyidat Al-Salam for Special Education, the Al-Baniyat Centre for Special Education, Nazik Al-Hariri Centre for Special Education, and Al-Masar Centre and School for Child Development Services.
Five centres also received Silver Recognition Certificates: the Consultative Applied Centre for Special Education, the Charitable Childcare Association, the Rafiqah Endowment for People with Disabilities, the Sahl Horan Association, and the Zarqa Comprehensive Centre for Inclusive Day Services.
The National Society for Persons with Special Needs and the Society of Families and Friends of the Disabled received bronze recognition certificates.
In his opening speech at the ceremony, HCD’s Secretary-General Dr. Muhannad Alazzeh emphasised the importance of adopting an approach focused on enhancing the quality of services provided to persons with disabilities, highlighting the importance of service evaluation, accreditation, and compliance with quality standards.
Alazzeh highlighted the need for quality services that respect human rights, noting that HCD's Accreditation Directorate has been working for eight years to achieve international recognition. HCD has made significant progress in accrediting institutions that provide services to persons with disabilities, with the goal of obtaining accreditation from the International Society for Quality (ISQ).
He pointed out that HCD is proud of all institutions, centres, and their administrators, appreciating their commitment to applying quality standards and their awareness of the importance of the accreditation system. He emphasised that Jordan is one of the leading countries in the field of rights for persons with disabilities.
Speaking during the panel discussion, academic and educational expert and faculty member at the University of Jordan, Dr. Mohammed Al-Jabri, pointed out that the existence of national standards of services for persons with intellectual disabilities and autism spectrum disorder constitutes a regulatory tool for institutions to ensure the provision of quality and sustainable services that align with the royal vision for supporting persons with autism spectrum disorder and people with intellectual disabilities.
Al-Jabri emphasised that these standards contribute to creating a positive and constructive competitive environment among institutions, as they highlight the importance of continuous self-evaluation in a way that supports the quality of services provided. He noted that these standards help academic institutions incorporate quality concepts into their programmes and encourage applied scientific research that demonstrates the importance of national accreditation for services, as universities are considered essential partners in promoting a culture of quality and the importance of its sustainability.
In turn, the Director of Rehabilitation, Education and Development at Sayyidat Al-Salam Center for Special Education, Wafiqa Deeb, expressed the centre’s pride in joining and applying for the accreditation programme, noting that accreditation represents a practical embodiment of the centre’s mission to provide services of the highest quality.
During her intervention in the panel discussion, she pointed out that accreditation has helped the centre organize its work and provide high-quality services that meet the needs of persons with disabilities. It also promotes teamwork to achieve higher satisfaction among service recipients regarding the level and quality of services, which will clearly contribute to fulfilling the centre’s mission.
Regarding her experience as an HCD-accredited assessor, Dr. Khawla Marrar discussed the preparatory stages that assessors undergo during their practical and theoretical training and assessment tests.
She emphasised the importance of assessing the institution’s status quo based on national standards and making accreditation decisions based on evidence, documents, observations, and interviews, as well as preparing an evaluation report that serves as a roadmap for developing and improving the institution. She also highlighted the need for assessors to adhere to the principles of the Code of Ethics for Certified Assessors, the most important of which are impartiality and objectivity, complete confidentiality and privacy, integrity, and professionalism.
Eight years ago, HCD began preparing institutions to apply for accreditation through a series of stages that included a series of theoretical and practical training sessions to prepare and qualify a team of assessors specialized in the national standards for intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder services. These assessors were accredited to draw on their expertise in conducting visits to institutions working with persons with disabilities and seeking to obtain accreditation.