Disability Policy and Wheelchair Users’ Accessibility in Jordan

Abstract

The main purpose of this article was to evaluate wheelchair users’ access to public buildings in Jordan. The key assumption was that accessibility to public buildings in Jordan did not meet the needs of wheelchair users. Field observation method was applied using the accessibility checklist of Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines (ADAAG) as a tool to collect data from a randomly selected sample of 30 buildings in Amman city. Quantitative analysis was used and results show that the average level of accessibility compliance of the surveyed buildings was too low (23%) to meet the needs of wheelchair users. The study concluded that little progress has actually been achieved in terms of environmental accessibility, which implies that Jordan’s disability policy was not successful in creating accessible environments in which wheelchair users’ equal rights of access to education, employment and basic services is guaranteed. The conclusion also sends a clear message to professionals and decision makers that despite the existence of disability legislation, wheelchair users are still facing physical and social barriers that prohibit their access to public buildings. In other words, law without recognition of the rights of people with disabilities tends to become ineffective.