Taking a major step toward enhancing the lives of tens of thousands of Jordanians with intellectual and other developmental disabilities, His Royal Highness Prince Ra'ad Bin Zaid, Lord Chamberlain to His Majesty King Abdullah II, will sign an agreement with the YAI Network on Tuesday, Aug. 31, 2010, to develop Jordan's first group residences for individuals with disabilities. The signing is scheduled for 1 p.m. at KPMG LLP, 345 Park Ave., in midtown.
The homes planned for Amman and Kerak, among the first for people with developmental disabilities in the Arab world, are part of an 18-month plan developed by the YAI Network, based in New York City, has been serving people with developmental and learning disabilities and their families since 1957. YAI will also work with officials to develop a state-of-the-art assessment center, where children and adults with developmental disabilities can be evaluated.
The project is supported by the United States Agency for International Development in collaboration with the Jordanian Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation.
"We see this as part of our mission to expand services to all people with developmental disabilities around the world," said Dr. Philip H. Levy, CEO and President of the YAI Network.
Prince Ra'ad Bin Zaid visited the YAI Network's programs in Queens in May of 2008, touring a medical practice for people with developmental disabilities, as well as a day services and employment training program. Afterward, the prince, who is president of the Higher Council for the Affairs of Persons with Disabilities, announced that he wanted YAI Network to help bring the same quality of services to people with disabilities in Jordan.
"You've been doing miracles," Prince Ra'ad Bin Zaid told YAI staff members in Queens. "Where doors have been closed for people with disabilities, you have opened those doors."
YAI Network representatives visited Jordan in March of this year, to assess the current state of the Jordanian service system and offer recommendations about areas for improvement.
