US State Department official checks on services provided to persons with disabilities

AMMAN — Scott C. Turner, Deputy Assistant Secretary for the US State Department's Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), on Monday visited the International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and the King Hussein Foundation Institute for Family Health (IFH).

Turner, who is visiting the Kingdom, had a first-hand look at the activities of the IOCC and IFH that serve the refugees and Jordanians with disabilities at IFH’s clinic in Sweileh.

In cooperation with the PRM, the IOCC and the IFH are implementing a comprehensive community-based project meant to address challenges facing persons with disabilities in accessing services, and promote their inclusion and empowerment through urgently needed diagnostic, rehabilitation and education services, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Highlighting the importance of the project, IOCC Country Representative Loren Hyatt said the project fills key gaps in disability-related services for both refugees and vulnerable Jordanians.

With the support of  the PRM, those who struggled with reading or people with hearing impairments can now communicate and be part of their families' conversations, thanks to the devices and hearing aids, as well as speech therapy offered to help them, she said.

She added that those who could not complete daily tasks are more independent, thanks to physical therapy and occupational therapy, and those who were falling behind in school are able to keep up with their peers, thanks to special education sessions and workshops with teachers.

Turner said that "the US is the largest single-country donor of humanitarian assistance worldwide", expressing his country's commitment to alleviating the suffering of people in need, including refugees.

The IOCC’s operations in Jordan are an example of how US assistance could help in improving lives, he noted, adding it is inspiring to see the resilience of refugees through visiting the IOCC on World Refugee Day.