Al-Ala’iya Resource Center Provides Specialized Services to 421 Persons with Visual Disabilities in 2025
Al-Ala’iya Resource Center, affiliated with the Ministry of Social Development, provided a range of specialized rehabilitation and educational services for persons with visual disabilities during 2025, benefiting 421 individuals across several governorates in the West Bank, with a particular focus on Bethlehem and Hebron.
The Center’s services included guidance, counseling, and follow-up for 120 beneficiaries in the governorates of Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jericho. In addition, 21 beneficiaries were trained in Braille literacy in Bethlehem and Hebron, while 35 beneficiaries received training on the use of talking computers in Bethlehem, Hebron, and Jericho.
The Center also provided white canes for mobility to 100 beneficiaries across all West Bank governorates without exception, Braille paper for writing to 40 beneficiaries in various governorates, and Braille books to 22 beneficiaries in the governorates of Bethlehem, Hebron, Jericho, Tubas, Tulkarm, and Ramallah.
In support of the educational process, the Center enlarged school curricula for 30 beneficiaries with partial visual impairments in the governorates of Bethlehem and Hebron, and provided 29 talking computers to beneficiaries across all West Bank governorates.
In cooperation with partners, the Center delivered assessment and diagnostic services to 20 beneficiaries in Bethlehem and Hebron, in addition to providing medical eyeglasses to four beneficiaries in the same governorates.
The Center’s activities also included participation in and implementation of various workshops in the field of disability, organizing awareness events related to the white cane and the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, as well as hosting a number of institutions and associations that provided material or moral support to the Center.
On the operational level, the Center carried out maintenance works for external water networks and water tanks, and prepared lists of furniture and equipment requiring immediate disposal.
Data showed that 70% of the beneficiaries were under the age of 18, while females constituted 60% of the total beneficiaries compared to 40% males. Additionally, 80% of the beneficiaries were concentrated in the governorates of Bethlehem and Hebron.
Despite a number of challenges, Al-Ala’iya Resource Center continues to provide its services. These challenges include the lack of an assistant, the absence of a dedicated driver and vehicle for the Center throughout the week, limited logistics for persons with visual disabilities, the absence of specialists in special education, occupational therapy, and psychological support, as well as the lack of a maintenance worker.