The association has been progressing for the last 19 years despite challenges. Multiple issues coexist, which restrict further development. The current location of the association center has reached its maximum capacity in terms of space, making it near impossible to accept more children, let alone upgrade the quality of the services by taking advantage of the advancement of new methods in dealing with children’s cases.
The association’s ambition is to build a self-sustainable Center of Excellence that can accommodate all children with all types of disabilities, provide holistic approach services, and conduct disability training to support other institutions in Oman. In order to support the association in its quest, and for a sustainable income, the Late Majesty Sultan Qaboos has bestowed upon the association a 14,009 square meters land in Ghala area to be used for new premises for the association and expansion of the early intervention activities. Along with the land, RO 300,000 was granted to AEICD to initiate the construction of the new AEICD headquarters and early intervention center. An area of 8052 square meters is to be used for the construction of a purpose-built center, while the balance area of 5957 square meters is allocated for real estate investors with lucrative commercial terms such as annual leasing.
Currently, the Association Center provides only rehabilitation. However, during the past 22 years, the center has successfully served and integrated more than 2,848 children who are in government schools or other rehabilitation centers. However, this cannot be considered a sustainable operational model since it doesn’t have a fixed income to allow the association to expand their services to meet the growing demands of society.
The new building will include special areas for the assessment, rehabilitation, Day care, Portage program (home visit), Gait Analysis, and insole production. New services will also be introduced including hydrotherapy, audiology testing, a medical clinic, an orthotic workshop, a shop to sell assistive devices and shoes, a training center, a vocational center, and many other services. The new facility will also have modern outdoor and indoor play areas and will be allocated for sports facilities.
New Headquarters