Empowered Parents In Charge (EPIC)

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People with disabilities (PWD) in Jordan face significant barriers to their full participation in society. Surveys find that currently 11.2 percent of the Jordanian population over the age of five has a disability. Although the government passed the "Law on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" in 2017 and mandated that at least one percent of ministries' total annual budgets be allocated to ensure programs and services are accessible to persons with disabilities, government funding remains insufficient to address the needs of PWDs. NGOs report many PWDs are stigmatized, ostracized, and are not recognized for their capabilities and their potential to live full lives. Families, fearing that their children will face discrimination in school, choose to keep their children at home, leading to 79 percent of school-aged people with disabilities not enrolled in any educational institution. The lack of access to education has lifelong consequences. One third of illiterate Jordanians aged 13 and older are PWDs, and around 84 percent of working age people with disabilities of in Jordan are unemployed. Thanks to the passage of the American with Disabilities Act in 1990, the United States is a world leader in protecting and promoting the civil rights of PWDs. Partnering Jordanian organizations with American institutions will showcase America’s global leadership, provide Jordanians with an authentic glimpse into America’s achievements on protecting the civil rights of PWDs, and create bonds between American and Jordanian communities. The Empowered Parents In Charge (EPIC) program will celebrate American excellence by spotlighting the achievements of specific Americans while offering best practices about and sharing aspects of the American experience to equip Jordanian parents of children with disabilities with advocacy skills, legal frameworks, financial resources, and civic engagement training. Parents will be empowered to ensure their children remain in school, are prepared for employment opportunities, and ultimately contribute to Jordan's economic growth and stability, thus reinforcing Jordan as a reliable regional partner to advance U.S. interests. Finally, the EPIC program will demonstrate how American excellence in the science, technology, and artificial intelligence (AI) arenas have benefited PWDs and explore ways Jordanians could apply such innovations to advocating and supporting PWDs.