50 Years of Service

1964
The Holy Land Institute for the Deaf is founded as a small deaf school on the site of a former missionary hospital in Salt, Jordan. The Institute is headed by Father Andeweg, a Dutch priest who is part of the Arab Episcopal Church. The Institute starts with thirty-two children and four teachers. There are a few classrooms, a boarding school for boys and girls and rooms for craft classes. Among other things, they are taught speech, lip reading, maths, Arabic and practical subjects such as shoe repair and basketry. The Institute is officially opened by the late King Hussein.

1967
The school can only accept a small number of children into the Institute because there is insufficient accommodation. Old buildings are purchased to expand and accommodate more students.

1977
Closure threatens the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf. Brother Andrew, who worked previously in Lebanon, arrives in Salt to become managing director of the Institute.

1980
Education alone is not enough. Students must also develop skills so that later on they can also practice a profession. With help from Joshua Grossenbacher, who moves to Salt in 1978 with his family, vocational training is set up.

1982
The department HEAR / audiology begins as an ear moulds laboratory under Brother Suheil. A first step is to carry out ear measurements and deliver hearing aids to the local population. In this year a field service is also set up to help disabled children throughout Jordan.

1986
The need for good teaching materials, curriculum and teachers grows and so the department S.T.R.I.D.E. is started under the leadership of Mr. Samir Dababneh. This department develops the curriculum and syllabus for teaching sign language, Arab deaf culture and educating deaf interpreters.

1996
The renovation of the old hospital has begun. The department S.T.R.I.D.E. will be located in this building.

2001
The Holy Land Institute for the Deaf is the first boarding school in the Middle East to take in deafblind children. Prince Ra’ad bin Zeid opens the department.

2002
The first students graduate from the local university with degrees in special education. Some students come back to work for the Institute.

2004
In Jofeh at the Dead Sea a centre of education and training for disabled women and children is opened.

2012
A similar small centre opens in the village of Kreimeh in the Jordan valley. In this year the Institute also starts a small CBR Centre for disabled people in the Za'atari refugee camp for Syrian refugees.

2014
We celebrate our Golden Jubilee. What will the next 50 years bring us?