Their Majesties King Abdullah and Queen Rania on Tuesday visited a society serving the physically challenged and called for expanding its role.

During the visit to Al Hussein Society for the Habilitation/Rehabilitation of the Physically Challenged, the King donated the cost of projects to improve the establishment, including maintenance work to the facility, Internet connectivity and the completion of a central heating system.

The King commended the society's role in supporting physically challenged people, especially children, pinpointing the need to set up branches for the society across the Kingdom to serve more citizens with special needs.

HRH Princess Majda Raad, the society's president, briefed Their Majesties on the society's mission. She also shed light on new units created at the society, including research, media, early intervention and occupational therapy and physiotherapy departments.

The Kingdom has recently launched the JD65 million National Strategy for People with Disabilities, which seeks to reduce the rate of disabilities in the country and enhance the quality of life for the disabled.

The plan, which will be implemented over two stages, is designed to lower disability rates by 5 per cent during the first phase and 15 per cent by the end of the second phase in 2015.