Egypt has an estimated 12 to 15 million people with disabilities (PWDs), many of whom face significant challenges navigating an environment that often lacks accessible infrastructure and inclusive social support.
The challenges are far-reaching, as public awareness, accessible infrastructure, and effective policy enforcement remain lacking, leaving many feeling excluded from daily life.
Multiple organizations work tirelessly to address these issues and promote greater inclusion.While their efforts are impactful, many of these organizations operate with limited recognition, highlighting the need to amplify their work and support their initiatives.
One of these organizations is Helm, a non-profit dedicated to empowering people with disabilities in Egypt and fostering their inclusion in all aspects of life.
Helm organized Egypt’s first-ever inclusive sports tournament in November 2024, the Unity Cup, in partnership with the Ministry of Social Solidarity and the Ministry of Manpower. The tournament brought people with and without disabilities together under the same rules, showcasing that with the right tools and support, there is no difference between them.
The event broke barriers and challenged perceptions, proving that inclusion is not just possible but essential for fostering a fair society. .
Magdy Shahir, 33, a motivational speaker with a physical disability and also a member of Helm, tells Egyptian Streets, “Before joining Helm, I didn’t realize what I could offer as a person with a disability. Through Helm, I discovered my potential and learned where I can truly make a difference.”
Another impactful organization is the Baseera Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to improving accessibility for blind and visually impaired individuals in Egypt.
“I was visually rehabilitated and practically raised at Baseera Foundation. They’re doing a lot of work to improve accessibility. Their latest initiative was a fair showcasing artwork created by visually impaired individuals,” Jowairya Soliman, 19, who has a visual impairment, shares how Baseera has empowered her and many others.
“The fair showed the fact that blind and visually impaired individuals can excel in all fields, even in areas not stereotypically associated with us. These stereotypes need to be debunked because they limit our abilities and dreams,” Soliman explains that the event challenged societal norms by showcasing artwork created by visually impaired individuals, demonstrating their talents in creative fields often assumed to be beyond their capabilities.
Everyday Barriers and Challenges
“The main problem is the people. They do not believe in us. They should treat us as normal people and not try to make us feel that we’re different in any way,” says Suhila Fathy, a 21-year-old student with a visual impairment.
“We are on the road to better inclusion altogether, but there are a few things we need,” Shahir, tells Egyptian Streets. “The culture of inclusion of people with disabilities needs to be embedded in everything we do in our society.
Whether it is raising awareness about the unique nature of each type of disability, emphasizing that they are not all the same, or ensuring that diverse needs are addressed with appropriate accessibility tools.”.
Fathy and Shahir’s words capture the everyday struggles faced by nearly 20 million Egyptians with disabilities, according to the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) in 2020.
“My biggest challenge is that transportation poses a very huge boundary. Most of the public transportation is not accessible. The metro is the only public transportation that is somewhat accessible, but not all stations. This always forces me to rely on private methods of transportation, which are very expensive and inconvenient for me,” Soliman says in a statement to Egyptian Streets.
Her challenges extend beyond transportation to public spaces, where poorly maintained streets, potholes, and non-existent sidewalks create further obstacles.
“For blind individuals, we require that all drivers have extensive knowledge about what a white cane is and what to do when they encounter a person with a white cane,” Soliman says. “Once the awareness is there, and people understand, we can start focusing more on infrastructure and identifying barriers to inclusion. For example, we need to remove sets of stairs without ramps. Anywhere with stairs must have a ramp or an elevator,” Shahir adds.
Disability in Egypt has long been framed through a medical perspective, often viewed as a health issue caused by biological impairments or injuries. This approach has historically shaped policies that prioritize treatment and management of disabilities while overlooking the environmental, social, and cultural barriers that hinder inclusion.
The first law on disability, the Rehabilitation Law for Persons with Disabilities (Law No. 39 of 1975), exemplified this medical model.
The Rehabilitation Law for Persons with Disabilities (Law No. 39 of 1975) exemplified the medical model by focusing on physical and functional deficiencies as the sole cause of disability-related challenges. It ignored broader societal, environmental, and economic barriers, framing disability as a rehabilitation issue rather than one of inclusion.
The law required companies with 50 or more employees to allocate five percent of their workforce to persons with disabilities, but these quotas often relegated them to low-grade jobs, limiting their ability to compete in the open labor market. Weak enforcement further undermined the law’s effectiveness, with employers opting to pay the minimal penalty of EGP 100 (USD 1.96) rather than comply, and no cases of imprisonment for violations on record.
By excluding persons with disabilities from broader labor laws, the law entrenched the view that they were outside the regular workforce, reinforcing societal exclusion rather than fostering true inclusion.
Legal Progress and Persistent Gaps
A significant shift in Egypt’s approach to disability began in 2007 with its signing of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), which emphasized moving beyond the medical model to recognize the right of persons with disabilities to live independently and be included in society.
The CRPD introduced a social and human rights-based perspective, focusing on removing societal barriers and ensuring accessibility, inclusion, and equality. This marked a departure from viewing disability solely as a medical condition requiring treatment and instead recognized it as an issue of rights and participation.
This was further reinforced in the 2014 constitutional amendments, where, for the first time, people with disabilities were acknowledged as equal citizens in nine articles that guarantee their rights and prohibit discrimination.
These clauses address a wide range of issues, including equality before the law (Article 53), access to personal freedom and legal assistance (Article 54), and dignified treatment for detainees (Article 55).
They also ensure the integration of children with disabilities into society (Article 80), the adaptation of public spaces and job allocation (Article 81), and appropriate representation in local councils (Article 180) and the House of Representatives (Article 244).
Additionally, the amendments mandated the creation of the National Council for Disabled Persons (Article 214) and committed Egypt to upholding international human rights conventions (Article 93). Together, these provisions marked a significant step forward in embedding the rights of people with disabilities into Egypt’s legal framework.
This commitment was echoed in the Sustainable Development Strategy of 2016, which prioritized empowering persons with disabilities through rehabilitation, protection, and inclusion.
In 2018, declared by the president as the “Year of Persons with Disabilities,” Egypt enacted the Disability Rights Law (Law No. 10 of 2018), replacing the outdated 1975 legislation and representing a more comprehensive effort to secure their rights. This marked a significant step forward in Egyptian culture, where disability inclusion began to gain more attention.
Despite these legal advancements, practical challenges persist.
“Another issue is public spaces, and streets, and the lack of implementation of traffic laws. Maybe it’s not directly related to people with disabilities, but it’s very detrimental because they already have challenges navigating. These challenges are aggravated by the lack of traffic laws,” Soliman says.
Shahir adds that legislation also needs stricter enforcement to bring about real change.
“When we talk about legislation, there must be strict laws for the rights of people with disabilities, not just having them on paper, but ensuring they’re implemented. The constitution already includes these laws, but there are no serious consequences for breaking them.”
Media and Advocacy: Driving Systemic Change
Soliman’s personal journey highlights how the media can play a crucial role in driving systemic change.
“I was the first visually impaired person in Egypt to take ministry exams on a laptop,” she shares.
“Before that, I had to rely on someone to read and write for me, which made me furious. I was featured on a show hosted by Lamis El Hadidy, where I shed light on this issue. I spoke about how I refused to be labeled as illiterate just because I needed assistance. I knew how to read and write on my own, using different tools.”
The media exposure became a turning point.
“Being featured on that show completely changed the legal framework. I became the first person to take exams independently on a laptop, and the policy was later generalized so that anyone visually impaired could request it.”
While Egypt has made significant strides toward disability inclusion, much work remains. Structural challenges, insufficient enforcement of laws, and cultural perceptions still hinder progress.
Awareness is at the heart of driving this change. From educating the public about the diverse needs of people with disabilities to normalizing their participation in all aspects of life, awareness serves as the foundation for creating an inclusive society.
Efforts by individuals like Soliman and organizations such as Helm and Baseera demonstrate that change is possible.
However, this transformation requires a collective commitment from government, institutions, and the wider public—not just to rethink accessibility and inclusion, but to embrace them as fundamental rights. With greater awareness and a unified effort, the barriers to disability inclusion can truly be dismantled.
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