Persons with Disabilities in Saudi Arabia: Great and Growing Attention

The Government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia pays great and growing attention to persons with disabilities. Article (27) of the Basic Law of Governance stipulates that: "The State shall guarantee the rights of the citizen and their family in cases of emergency, illness, disability, and old age, support the social security system, and encourage institutions and individuals to contribute to charitable work." As persons with disabilities are covered under this article, the State has undertaken to support various entities and harness all means to fulfill this article.

In this article, we track below a set of resources showcasing some of the efforts made by various entities to empower persons with disabilities and achieve effective participation and equal opportunities within a cohesive society that provides a decent life for them and their families.

- This list is continually updated on a regular basis to track the efforts made in this field.

Laws and Regulations:

The Kingdom's government has enacted a set of domestic laws and ratified international conventions to ensure the empowerment of persons with disabilities. Some examples include:

- Basic Regulations for the Rehabilitation Programs of Persons with Disabilities, Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers.Link

- Royal Decree for the Implementation of Universal Accessibility.Link

- Regulations of the Authority of People with Disabilities, Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers.Link

- Educational Rights, Equality in Education for Persons with Disabilities, Principles and Fundamentals. Ministry of Education.Link

- Law on the Care of Persons with Disabilities, Bureau of Experts at the Council of Ministers.Link

- The Journey and Fundamentals of Dealing with Disability in the Kingdom, a Historical Overview.Link

- Vision 2030: An article on measures aimed at promoting the rights of persons with disabilities within Saudi Vision 2030.Link

- Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Unified National Platform. Link

- Symposium on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Saudi Press Agency: Reviews a number of working papers presented by government entities on the mechanism for promoting and spreading awareness of the rights of persons with disabilities in the Kingdom within the context of national and international standards.Link

- Key Efforts to Promote the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Kingdom, Human Rights Commission: A report covering the Kingdom's key contributions across various fields for disability rights: education, health, labor, facility preparation, and universal accessibility.Link

- The United Nations Convention signed by the Kingdom.Link

- Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, International Reports: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Link

- Kingdom Regulations and the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, Human Rights Commission.Link

- Braille Report, Saudi Press Agency.Link

Government Entities:

The Ministry of Education makes relentless efforts to empower students with disabilities by structuring dedicated departments to prepare plans, oversee their implementation, provide scientific resources and assistive aids, and train specialists. These departments include:

- Visual Impairment Department: Education Agency.Link

- Hearing Impairment Department: Education Agency.Link

- Learning Disabilities Department: Education Agency.Link

- Behavioral Disorders and Autism Department: Education Agency. Link

- Intellectual Education Department: Education Agency.Link

- Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorders Department: General Administration of Special Education.Link

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development also offers a range of programs and services aimed at empowering persons with disabilities, including:

- Tawafuq: The National Workforce Program for Persons with Disabilities in the private sector, affiliated with the Human Resources Development Fund, which focuses on promoting equal employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and providing rehabilitation and sustainable employment services. Link

- Mowaamah: A program affiliated with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, launched in application of the Kingdom's methodology for the rights of persons with disabilities in the workplace, aiming to incentivize private sector establishments to provide a suitable work environment for persons with disabilities. Link

- Electronic Disability Assessment Services: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.Link

- Traffic Facilitations for Persons with Disabilities: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Link

- Travel Fare Reduction Card: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development.Link

- Digital Card for Autism Spectrum Disorder: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Link

- Accessibility: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Link

- Authority of People with Disabilities: Organizationally linked to the Minister of Labor and Social Development, aiming to care for persons with disabilities and enhance their role in the Kingdom.Link

- Persons with Disabilities Map: An electronic service provided by the General Presidency for the Affairs of the Grand Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque, enabling persons with special needs to identify paths and facilities dedicated to them. Link

Non-Profit Organizations:

Among the efforts supported by the Kingdom's government are those carried out by charitable associations and non-profit institutions. These include:

- King Salman Center for Disability Research: One of the Kingdom's most prominent research centers, working to sponsor and conduct research and establish a comprehensive information center for disability research in the Kingdom.Link

- Saudi Association for Special Education (GESTER): Affiliated with King Saud University, aiming to develop local scientific thinking and performance in the field of disability.Link

- Down Syndrome Charitable Association (DSCA): Founded as an initiative by parents and advocates and officially registered by the Ministry of Social Affairs in 2002. The association provides services for developing training and educational programs and funding care for persons with Down syndrome and their families.Link

- Autism Research Center: Affiliated with King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre. It provides a wide range of services for children with autism spectrum disorder and their families, as well as specialist training.Link

- Center of Excellence for Autism: Under the auspices of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, dedicated to caring for individuals with autism spectrum disorder and their families and improving their quality of life, as well as providing telerehabilitation occupational therapy services.Link

- Ishraq Association for ADHD: Specialized in providing comprehensive, specialized support for individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.Link

- Tawasul Association: Specialized in providing technology services to persons with disabilities to improve their quality of life.Link

- Qader: Al-Anood Philanthropic Foundation. It provides several services for persons with disabilities, most notably undergraduate and postgraduate educational scholarships and sponsorship of children in educational centers.Link

- Saudi Hearing Impairment Association: A charitable association that provides training, awareness, and developmental services and programs to empower the deaf, hard of hearing, and cochlear implant recipients.Link.

- Saudi Sign Language Association: Affiliated with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, it oversees everything related to sign language, its instruction, and the licensing of sign language interpreters.Link

- Learning Disabilities Charitable Association: The first Saudi association for learning disabilities, providing multiple services including diagnosis, education, consultation, training, and awareness for individuals with learning disabilities and specialists, with several branches in Riyadh, Jeddah, and Madinah.Link

- Sawaed Association for Motor Disability: Works on a number of programs related to motor disabilities in the Eastern Province.Link

- Qaderoon: A network specialized in empowering employers to include persons with disabilities as equal and active members of the workforce, providing diverse resources for employers and various guides on accommodating services to include persons with disabilities.Link

- Saudi Autism Society: Provides training content and organizes volunteer teams. Among its most notable achievements is the National Project for Autism Awareness and Training, and it also works on translating scientific resources. Link

- Harakia: The Motor Disability Association for Adults provides multiple services to empower persons with disabilities, such as Hajj and Umrah assistance, fertility aid, and scholarship programs.Link

- Kafeef: The Charitable Association for the Blind in Riyadh Region. Its services include Braille printing and providing knowledge resources for the visually impaired.Link

Guides and Publications:

- The Authority of People with Disabilities compiled a comprehensive directory of non-profit associations serving persons with disabilities, containing information on the associations, regions, and contact methods. Link

- General Authority for Statistics: Disability Survey.Link

- Disability Awareness Guide, Ministry of Health.Link

- Services Provided to Persons with Disabilities by the Ministry of Education, a comprehensive guide to educational services, medical and social care, and support services.Link

- Organizational Guide for Special Education.Link

- Procedural Guide for Special Education.Link

- Guides and Regulations, General Administration of Special Education.Link

- Awareness Magazines, Procedural Guides, and Publications, General Administration of Special Education.Link

- Guide to Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities According to the Scientific Approach, King Saud University.Link

- Learning Disabilities Teacher Guide for Intermediate and Secondary Stages, Ministry of Education. It includes a comprehensive mechanism on how to provide educational services to students with learning disabilities, measurement and diagnosis methods, learning environment preparation, in addition to general guidelines. Link

Guides to Accommodating Services Provided to Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs.

Contains definitions, disability statistics, etiquette for interacting with persons with disabilities, scientific guidelines for employers, and a range of government services provided:

- Autism spectrum disorder:Link

- Down syndrome:Link

- The deaf and hard of hearing:Link

- The blind and visually impaired:Link

- Universal Accessibility Guide: King Salman Center compiled universal accessibility guides for persons with disabilities in the built environment and land and maritime transport.Link

In conclusion, we would like to note that what has been tracked in this article regarding the role played by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to empower persons with disabilities is only part of an ongoing process toward providing sustainable solutions that ensure the empowerment of persons with disabilities, and achieve effective participation and equal opportunities within a cohesive society that provides a decent life for them and their families.

Originally published in Arabic. This English version was produced with AI-assisted translation; the Arabic original remains the reference.