Amani A. Kettaneh

My older sister got married when she was very young to my immediate cousin. They end up having three children who had disabilities. In Jordan, specifically, and in other Arab countries, people with disabilities, they suffer. 

It was very painful for me to see my nephew suffer. He was very close to my age because my sister got married when she was very young, and I was one of the youngest in our family. My nephew and I used to spend hours with each other playing. He could understand everything, but to look at or listen to him, anyone would recognize he had a disability. Like his talking. But still, people would undermine him. He did not go to regular schools. He did not have a chance to get a job, even though he did everything at the house for his mom. I felt like I needed to advocate for my nephew. I said, “I need to advocate for people who are less privileged. No matter what it is, I want to advocate for their rights. I want them to live independently; to be able to get married.”

Many times when my nephew called me he said, “Amani, tell mama that I want to marry my neighbor.” But this was not an option. His situation caused a pain in my chest. I needed to make a change for their lives.