Many persons with physical disabilities who use wheelchairs said that they rarely use the bus system.[127] Those who do attempt to use buses often rely on the help of strangers, family members, or friends. Both BRT and regular buses generally are not accessible for ...

Tehran is home to the country’s first underground rail system, which serves over eight million people a day. The capital city also has a four-line Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) that serves 1.8 million people daily.[123] Underground rail systems now are present or under ...

Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights in Iran found that preventing disability is one of the main priorities of Iran’s disability policy. In a 2015 speech SWO Director Anooshiravan Mohseni Bandpei said, “We should use medical science evidence to remove ...

There is no internationally accepted definition of disability. The CRPD describes people with disabilities as including those “who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an ...

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

Under the CRPD, the government of Iran is committed to “take appropriate steps to safeguard and promote” the realization of the right to an adequate standard of living and to the continuous improvement of living conditions for persons with disabilities and their families ...

The SWO is responsible for providing assistive devices such as wheelchairs, crutches, and hearing aids. However, many persons Human Rights Watch and the Center for Human Rights in Iran interviewed said that they encountered excessive waiting times to obtain free or subsidized supportive ...

Interviews also revealed how many persons with disabilities face barriers in accessing essential services such as physiotherapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and psychotherapy.[56] Neither private nor public insurance schemes in Iran cover these services.[57] Although the National Health Transformation Plan, established in 2013, has expanded ...

While family members play important roles in the lives of many people with disabilities in Iran, under the CRPD, people with disabilities should have access to a range of in-home, residential, and other community support. This support includes personal assistance necessary to support ...

The office of Evaluation, Inspection, and Addressing Complaints in the SWO is responsible for conducting regular inspections to evaluate the performance of SWO staff as well as agencies and organizations providing services on behalf of the SWO. But persons with disabilities interviewed were ...

Many people we interviewed stated that social workers did not provide them with sufficient information in a timely manner about services and equipment to which they are entitled and the procedures for obtaining them. Many believed that social workers were only assigned to ...

Many persons with disabilities told our researcher that SWO staff had been disrespectful toward them and verbally abused them.[28] For example, when Shahla and her husband, both deaf, were considering having a baby, their friends told them that with a reference letter from SWO, ...

In order to live an independent and dignified life within society, persons with disabilities should have access to individualized means and services including, for example, assistive equipment and technologies, comprehensive habilitation and rehabilitation services, personal assistance services, as well as adequate disability pensions, ...

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, ...