Amman: The Higher Council for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (HCD), in cooperation with Germany's Konrad Adenauer Foundation, concluded a training program on political empowerment involving 20 young men and women from parties represented in the Lower House of Parliament, as well as activists with disabilities.
According to Jordan News Agency, the program focused on concepts and requirements related to political party work and ways to integrate persons with disabilities into party activities. It also addressed standards for inclusive party engagement that ensure disability issues are represented and persons with disabilities can participate effectively within political parties.
The program examined mechanisms governing cooperation between political parties and parliamentary blocs, including procedures for forming and joining parliamentary blocs and their relationship with parties outside Parliament, particularly as parliamentary blocs are required to be formed on a partisan basis.
Participants were also introduced to the structure of party-based blocs in the Lower House and how they are formed. The training addressed the importance of political parties and their parliamentary blocs incorporating the issues and rights of persons with disabilities into their work, as well as the potential impact on party activities and Parliament's legislative and oversight roles.
The second part of the program covered political communication skills and the preparation of rights-based political messages aimed at challenging negative stereotypes concerning persons with disabilities. It also addressed methods for communicating such messages, including identifying target audiences and engaging with them.
Practical exercises focused on addressing audiences and presenting messages to the media and decision-makers. The sessions covered organizing and condensing ideas, supporting arguments with evidence, and using body language and tone of voice effectively during communication and dialogue.