The State Welfare Organization (SWO) serves people with all types of disabilities across the country, as well as other socially vulnerable groups.[21] The SWO has offices in all major cities and most towns. For people with disabilities the SWO focuses on disability ...

There are no official up-to-date statistics on how many of Iran’s 80 million people have disabilities.[5] Based on 2015 data from the three government agencies providing services to people with disabilities, more than 1.87 million (4.2 percent of the population) were registered as having disabilities.[6] The 2011 ...

Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights in Iran documented multiple barriers impeding the ability of people with disabilities to access health care services on an equal basis with others. The lack of accommodations as well as discriminatory attitudes and a ...

Iran is a highly centralized country and the government regulates nearly all activities. Basic requests can require complex forms, administrative processes, and official stamps. To access most public services in Iran, people need to go in-person to governmental offices. According to SWO, only ...

As a result of poor accessibility to public transportation, roads, and buildings, many people with disabilities in Iran we ...

The Iranian government’s approach to disability continues to rely heavily on the medical model of disability, which contributes to discriminate and stigmatize. Until recently, disability was widely understood through the lens of a person’s defect, difference, or illness. People with disabilities were seen ...

This report was researched and written by a Persian-speaking researcher who wishes to remain anonymous for security reasons. The researcher worked jointly with the Disability Rights Division of Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights in Iran. Jane Buchanan, deputy director in the Disability ...

This report is the outcome of a joint project by Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI, formerly the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran). For this report a researcher working for both organizations conducted 58 ...

Autism: A developmental condition present from early childhood characterized by difficulty in communicating and forming relationships with other people and in using language and abstract concepts. The cause of autism in children is unknown, but researchers generally believe that it stems from a problem ...

The government of Iran should: Implement a comprehensive review of legislation and policies to ensure that they are in line with the requirements of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; Establish effective and independent monitoring systems as well as confidential, ...