Article 20 of the Saudi Rights of Persons with Disabilities Law

This article addresses housing, one of the most important needs of daily life. It establishes the right of persons with disabilities to have their requirements and needs taken into account when:

• Designing housing projects.
• Carrying out housing projects.

The point is that taking them into account starts at the planning and design stage, not after the project is completed: whoever designs or carries out a housing project should take into account that residents with disabilities will live there and what they need.

The Regulations set the mechanism for implementing this provision. The article itself does not mention a proportion of units to be set aside, priority in allocation, or particular specifications, and does not say whether the provision covers the projects of a particular body but not others; these are details to be found in the Regulations and with the relevant bodies.

This provision is consistent with the definition of "accessibility" in Article 1, which covers access by persons with disabilities to the physical environment around them on an equal basis with others.

This article comes after Article 19 on social development lending services, and before Article 21, which begins by specifying the acts that violate the provisions of the Law, such as assaulting persons with disabilities, neglecting them or impersonating them.

Anyone who believes a housing project did not take their needs into account can consult a lawyer specializing in the rights of persons with disabilities or in administrative cases.