HCD prepares procedures manual as special education facilities, centres reopen

AMMAN — The Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD) is preparing a specialised operating procedures manual, including safety and preventative measures to curtail the spread of the novel coronavirus at centres for persons with disabilities and special education facilities, according to the council's spokesperson.

 “The council aims to guarantee the safety of disabled people and the centres’ employees,” HCD Spokesperson Ghadeer Al Hares told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday.

 The instructions state that the centres should operate at half capacity amid ongoing virus concerns, according to Hares. In the case that the number of beneficiaries exceeds the established capacity of 50 per cent, shift work will be activated.

COVID-19 testing is mandatory for all workers at the centres, and work can only resume after all test results are released. Centres must also conduct periodic health checks.

Hares  added that the safety guidelines are similar to those set for daycare facilities.

With the reopening of centres and facilities for people with disabilities, the council has worked in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and the Ministry of Education to prepare a comprehensive guide that guarantees the "highest standards" of health and safety as well as the continuity of service delivery, according to Hares.

“The guide has already been prepared and now it is in the final stages of review,” the spokesperson said.