Through the Scholarships Fund for Students with Disability which is part of the People with Disability Care Office at An-Najah, the University granted 58 scholarships to its students with disability as part of its message to serve this group of students and give them the chance to excel and achieve.

This was the fourth time that these scholarships have been announced and granted during the academic year 2010-2011. In addition to the students with disability, the scholarships were granted to students whose one or both parents suffer from a disability; the number of students benefiting from these scholarships was estimated at 206 students.

The number of students with disability who are currently enrolled at An-Najah is 68, four of whom are enrolled in higher education programs. The 68 students are studying in various fields including medicine, engineering, science, law, Islamic Law…etc. Each scholarship covers 50-75% of the tuitions and is funded through generous donations from the local community.

In order to qualify to these scholarships a student or any of his parents must have a disability, and should also maintain high academic performance and obtain high scores.

Prof. Rami Hamdallah, President of An-Najah, said that these scholarships aim to provide the students with disability in Palestine with support and encouragement to achieve and succeed in their life. Through this strategy, the University seeks to integrate those students into their society and help them become effective and active contributors to the development of their country. The potentials of the students with disability should never be underestimated and they should be given the freedom to choose whatever they want.

In addition to these scholarships, the University offers various facilitations to the students with disability such as the academic excellence scholarships, student loans and special scholarships. The University has also established several facilities on campus to help make the university life easier for this group of students. Such facilities include the Computer Lab for the Visually-impaired which enables those students to take advantage of technology and provides them with easy access to information they need in their university study. The Lab has also issued more than 350 Braille materials to help those students study.

Mr. Samer Aqrouq, Coordinator of the People with Disability Care Office at An-Najah, said that there are more students with disability who have joined the University this year and stated that their number is increasing thanks to the encouragement and facilitation they received from the University. The idea of establishing the Scholarships Fund for the Students with Disability came after thorough studies on the economical and social situations of these students.

Mr. Aqrouq thanked all the companies and individuals who supported this fund through their generous donations and emphasized that the University, represented by the People with Disability Care Office, will continue to cooperate with the local institutions and officials to ensure the well-being of the people with disability and make life easier for them.