The Islamic Republic is one of the rarest governments that violates its own laws or throws them into the archives. The Law on Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is one of these laws that was passed after a decade of ups and downs with 34 articles and 29 clauses in the month of Ordibehesht in 1997. However, after 5 years of passing this law, the citizenship rights of individuals with disabilities are still clearly violated. Among the issues that have been recorded in this law but have not yet been implemented are the discussion of accessibility, accessibility and mobility of individuals with disabilities, provision of health, medical and rehabilitation services, support for persons with disabilities in creating employment opportunities, free use of severely disabled persons from rail and bus transportation systems within the government and public sectors, and the use of these individuals from government and public intercity rail, air and sea transportation systems at half price, etc.

On the eve of December 3rd, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we had a brief conversation with Alireza, one of the individuals with physical disabilities who is 25 years old and lives in Maragheh. Alireza was injured in a car accident four years ago and has been using a wheelchair for several years. He mentions some of the daily challenges he faces and says, “The suitable routine for urban spaces in our city is as if there is no place for people with disabilities to live. In no part of the city are ramps seen for our movement. It’s as if the urban planners never thought about how a person in a wheelchair would navigate through a park or a place with stairs.”

Alireza continues: “The reality is that due to lack of resources, it has become impossible for people like me to imagine living independently. I can’t even go visit my elderly aunt who lives on the fourth floor of a building without an elevator.”

Alireza is upset that he cannot go out alone to buy things and do his daily tasks. He says, “Because of being stuck at home, I have become depressed. Every time I go to the dentist and my brother carries me up three flights of stairs, I feel guilty. I don’t eat so that I don’t gain weight, because if I become heavier, my brother will have more pressure on his back. He not only has to carry the burden of his own life, but also carries me to the doctor and places where there is no elevator, up and down the stairs.”

Peymaneh, 54 years old, lives in Tehran and is part of the community of individuals with disabilities. Peymaneh, while expressing sympathy for Alireza, says: “I, who also live in Tehran, face similar problems. In general, I can say that in the design of public facilities such as banks, shopping centers, and even some parks and public transportation, we have been ignored. We are also part of the community and our citizenship rights should be considered.”

The graduate of accounting adds, “One of the hardest periods of my life was when I was going to university. No facilities were provided for our passage. Even the sanitary services were built in a way that did not have a separate section for people with disabilities. If I want to overlook all of this, from an educational, cultural, and social perspective, we have not been properly introduced to the working society. If there is a job opportunity where I and a person with a disability compete – even if I have more expertise – who will be hired!? It is very upsetting that people with disabilities are looked at in a way that makes us seem incapable and a burden to society.”

These limitations are not just for those who sit in wheelchairs, but for all those who are temporarily or permanently disabled. One of the city planners, who wished to remain anonymous, told “Khatteh Salam”: “First of all, it should be noted that we should not have a stereotypical definition of disability, because only individuals with mobility problems are not included in this group. It is possible for someone to be physically healthy, but due to an accident or even surgery, they may need support and special city services for a period of time. Consider a pregnant woman who cannot carry five bags of groceries daily, or elderly individuals who need special city services; they all fall under the category of families with disabilities.”

He continues to say that in developed countries, the needs of individuals are considered in the design of urban furniture, public transportation systems, and construction, so that they can independently solve their problems in public and shared spaces. However, in Iran, many laws and regulations have been passed in this regard, but none have been fully implemented. One of the reasons for this is that everything is driven by corruption. The municipality gives projects to contractors who are dependent on power and are only focused on economic gain, not on human-centered solutions. There is also no supervision in place.

This senior urban planner adds: “Let me be blunt, in the Islamic Republic system, there is no such thing as citizen rights being respected. In such a system, the rights of individuals with disabilities are blatantly ignored and no one is held accountable. Of course, everyone talks about it, from the parliament and government to the municipality and welfare organizations, and they all consider themselves responsible for this sector in order to receive larger budgets, but we see that they do nothing in practice.”

He mentions the recommendations for making the streets accessible for people with disabilities and says, “We have three major groups of people with physical disabilities, sensory-motor disabilities, and sensory-motor disabilities who face serious problems regarding access to buildings, including access paths, stairs, and open ramps. Many solutions have been proposed on paper in the field of urban equipment, but they are not implemented.”

Expensive and lack of access to rehabilitation equipment.

من دوست دارم

I love you.

High prices and lack of access to rehabilitation equipment are another problem for people with disabilities, which officials have not taken effective action to address. In fact, the situation has only worsened day by day. According to Hamshahri newspaper, the high exchange rate and inflation in recent years have caused some rehabilitation equipment to become up to five times more expensive. On the other hand, the economic situation of the people has deteriorated to the point where stolen rehabilitation equipment from hospitals is being sold on the black market. The report states, “The theft from hospitals has increased and they bring equipment with the hospital’s logo and emblem to sell. There are people who, under the pretext of having an elderly mother or father and needing a wheelchair, give their hospital ID card to the hospital to get a wheelchair. Then they bring it back to sell it.”

On the other hand, domestic news agencies report that the number of people with disabilities in the country has increased compared to last year, but sellers of rehabilitation equipment complain about the decrease in sales and lack of customers. The owner of one of the rehabilitation equipment stores says: “Due to the increase in prices, some of our regular customers have been lost; often, these were customers who used to purchase equipment for people in need through charitable organizations. Until last year, a well-known charity would buy three electric wheelchairs from me for three million and two hundred thousand tomans each, but now the price for the same three wheelchairs has reached thirty-four million tomans.”

Those in power have not registered any executive plan to support individuals with disabilities in their record, which could have made them happy. The high cost of living has forced some to look to the sky, to the point where they cannot even afford to pay for wheelchair repairs and rehabilitation equipment. There are no job opportunities, recreational activities, public transportation, etc. for this group. The Islamic Republic has neglected the citizenship rights of this group more than others.