As part of its program Community3.jo that is funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI), Tech Tribes, along with partner organizations in the South of Jordan, has launched an advocacy campaign in Aqaba titled “7aqqi Ashtaghel” (My Right To Work) to advocate for the rights of people with disabilities to be integrated in the workforce, and their right in a work environment that is free from physical obstacles as well as attitudinal barriers. The main aim of the Campaign is to advocate for the implementation of Article 4 paragraph C from the Disabled Peoples’ Rights Law number 31 for the year 2007. This article stipulates that any employer with more than 50 workers in their workforce is obliged to reserve 4% of work vacancies to People with Disabilities (Link to the Campaign Brief in Arabic).

“7aqqi Ashtaghel” has started in January 2014 with a series of activities in Aqaba to set the ground and cooperate with the private sector, organizations that work for the wellbeing of People with Disabilities, and regional authorities. The first few activities of the campaign involved training for the Campaign team of volunteers on Disabled People’s Rights, and issues related to their employment in international and Jordanian laws. Activities also included discussion sessions with various stakeholders, especially Members of Parliament in Aqaba, and Ministry of Labor representatives, during the Second Conference of Al-Aqaba Youth.

Recommendations from these discussion sessions came out as follows:

1. The creation of a database for Disabled People’s information, education, and skill levels, to be available to all employers who want to abide by the law mentioned above.
2. Initiating and organizing career days to link Disabled People with Human Resources and Hiring Managers of various companies in Aqaba.
3. The discussions also raised points about the importance of education and capacity building for Disabled People that are part of their employment rights.

The Campaign commences its advocacy on the ground as well as online on its Facebook page. The up-coming campaign activities are set to include training for the campaign team of volunteers (15 youth) on movie-making, producing a series of PSA’s related to the issues of Disabled People’s right in employment. Tech Tribes will also launch a website that includes information about this Campaign and its cause that will be available as the leading portal for information, resources, academic theory, and coordination efforts regarding the issue of Disabled People’s employment rights.