Help Center

We started our day with a trip to the Help Center, a facility for special needs students. Created under the Health Ministry so that women and men could work side by side, this center serves 260 Saudi students with special needs. It was established 20 years ago, and was revolutionary at the time. Today there are 23 similar centers in Jeddah alone. (The number is highest here, as Jeddah has a reputation for being more liberal than other parts of the country.) It serves youth from birth until 18 with a holistic approach. It is worth noting that such a place in Saudi Arabia is quite significant. The culture has traditionally been very secretive about disabilities (among many other things) so this represents a major and needed change. (It was moving to meet the staff and students.)

The building is beautiful, filled with student art as well as colorful furniture, wall art, and even a lizard! It has a wood shop, theater, and they are even building a horizontal climbing wall.
The students' disabilities include down syndrome, autism, and other physical impairments. On our tour, we saw students working on various art projects as part of a special event coming up. One group was working on classifying plants through visuals! It seems to be a very hands on, active environment which the students respond well to! They were so sweet. One girl in particularl was telling me that she enjoys playing piano. The young man from the library is a graduate of the school and now works there.

I didn't take any pictures of the students, but I did of the facility.