Al-Alaiya Resource Center Continues Providing Services to Persons with Visual Disabilities Across the West Bank
Around 420 People Have Benefited from the Center’s Free Services Since the Beginning of the Year, with Expanded Braille Book Printing for Students
Bethlehem – The Al-Alaiya Resource Center for Persons with Visual Disabilities in Beit Jala, affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development, continues to provide free specialized services to persons with visual disabilities from across the West Bank, through programmes aimed at strengthening their independence and enabling their inclusion and participation in educational and social life.
From the beginning of 2026 through the end of September, around 420 people benefited from the Center’s various services and programmes, which include rehabilitation and training, awareness-raising and follow-up for persons with visual disabilities and their families, the provision of assistive devices and equipment, as well as Braille services, screen-reading technology, and the enlargement of educational materials.
The Center recorded a significant expansion in its Braille book printing service, which benefited around 150 people, most of them school and university students. This represents one of the highest numbers of beneficiaries recorded by the department since the Center was established. The increase followed the strengthening of the printing department with three Braille printers provided by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation, along with the provision of specialized Braille paper with support from the French Association for Assistance to the Palestinian People.
Around 120 people benefited from follow-up and awareness services, approximately 50 people received white canes, and 35 people benefited from the enlargement of educational materials. A further 25 people received rehabilitation and training services on the use of screen-reading technology and Braille.
In the area of assistive devices and technologies, the Center provided computers equipped with screen-reading technology to 13 beneficiaries, in addition to lenses and visual assistive devices for seven beneficiaries, and Braille writing paper for 20 beneficiaries, helping facilitate access to education and information for persons with visual disabilities and strengthening their independence.
The Center welcomes persons with visual disabilities without discrimination on the basis of age, gender, or place of residence. Its services reach people from various governorates across the West Bank and are delivered by a specialized team of 13 counsellors and teachers.
Through its programmes, the Center aims to enable blind persons and persons with visual disabilities to develop their skills, access the educational resources and assistive technologies they need, and strengthen their ability to live independently and participate in different areas of life, particularly education and social life.
The Al-Alaiya Resource Center is one of the oldest institutions specializing in services for persons with visual disabilities in Palestine. Established in 1938, it has continued over the decades to develop its services and programmes in line with the needs of persons with visual disabilities and advances in educational tools and assistive technologies.