‘Over 11,000 diff-abled citizens living in the Kingdom’

There are over 11,000 diff-abled citizens in the Kingdom and majority of them are male, latest statistics shows. According to official figures, there are 11,738 disabled persons; 6,974 of whom are males and 4,764 are females. The figures were revealed by the Ministry of Labour and Social Development.

Mental disability tops the list in the Kingdom. According to the figures, 4,409 are classified as mentally-disabled and 3,508 physically-disabled while others include visually-impaired and hearing-impaired. There are  716 people with multiple disabilities. The ministry stated that all measures are being taken to take care of the needs of the special needs population.

Bahrain has been taking many measures in recent years to ensure the wellness of the special needs population. Recently, Khalifa Public Park in Riffa, a key park in the southern region was equipped with special facilities to inclusive to special needs population. “The move comes with our belief that people with  special needs are an important part of Bahraini society and the too have recreational needs that they want to experience,” the municipality stated.

The buildings in the park are made to be inclusive and permitting easy access to people with special needs, while parking are also designed to be easily available to them. “Certain areas have been selected to install sporting and game facilities for the  special needs.

This will be of great benefit to them as well. This includes a basketball court that is not too high.” A snake and ladder ground, which would allow access to wheelchairs would also be built in the future, the municipality announced.