Gathering of Families of Students with Disabilities in Mashhad and Indifference of Officials

A number of individuals with disabilities, including families of students with disabilities in Mashhad, gathered on Tuesday, December 4, coinciding with the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, to protest the non-implementation of Article 27 of the Disability Law and their economic hardships. According to Article 27 of this law, which was approved and announced in 2018, the government of the Islamic Republic is obligated to determine a livelihood allowance for individuals with 'very severe or severe disabilities without jobs and income' at the level of the annual minimum wage and to allocate the necessary budget for this purpose in the 'annual budget laws of the country.' The state-run ILNA news agency reported that in recent years, the prices of many goods have increased by up to 400%, creating a 'strange gap' between wages and living costs. The report states that Article 27 of the 'Comprehensive Law on Disabilities' stipulates that the government should consider a minimum social security wage for severely and very severely disabled individuals, but this amount is not being paid. The Research Center of the Islamic Consultative Assembly has reported that 'about 37% of individuals with disabilities are in the lowest three income deciles.' The Shargh newspaper reported that some provisions of the law have not been implemented due to 'lack of necessary funding' and others due to 'lack of oversight, follow-up, and enforcement guarantees.' Individuals with disabilities and their families have repeatedly protested against the lack of access to minimum welfare facilities, lack of support, and their poor living conditions, but have faced indifference from officials. On the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, they reiterated their demands. Images of protests in front of the Welfare Organization in Mazandaran and an individual with a disability protesting in front of the Welfare Organization in Chabahar have been shared on social media. The Telegram channel 'Disability Campaign' also published images of gatherings of families of students from 'exceptional schools' in front of the Governorate of Khorasan Razavi. Families of students with disabilities held this gathering in protest against transportation costs. In September, it was promised that these services would be free, but three months into the school year, this promise has not been fulfilled. An artist active in the field of disability rights wrote on X: 'Officials say nice things on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities; we have held so many protests in front of the Parliament and the Budget Organization, yet not a single official has come to ask what your pain is.' Roya Babaei, a journalist specializing in disability issues, also wrote: 'Yesterday, a group of disabled individuals managed by the campaign protested against the government's and Parliament's indifference to their rights in front of the Parliament building. The government delegation was also present in Parliament on the occasion of the Parliament Day. But alas, no one felt obligated to respond.' Vahid Rajablu, an entrepreneur suffering from SMA, wrote on X: 'Disability is not weakness; it is injustice. Weakness belongs to a society that has not yet been able to create equal opportunities, not to the individual who fights against hardships.' In June of this year, a number of 'independent activists' wrote a letter to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, emphasizing the indifference of Iranian government officials to the rights of citizens with disabilities, referring to the presence of the head of the Welfare Organization of the Islamic Republic at the seventeenth conference of this international body. The U.S. Department of State issued a statement on the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, emphasizing that individuals with disabilities serve as leaders in business, government, media, and throughout civil society, stating that the United States has made support for the rights of persons with disabilities a cornerstone of its foreign policy. December 3 has been designated by the United Nations as the 'International Day of Persons with Disabilities'; an annual event held since 1992. This event addresses various issues related to persons with disabilities and focuses on a different theme each year. This year's theme for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is 'Empowering Leadership of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive and Sustainable Future.' The United Nations stated that the purpose of choosing this theme is to highlight 'the important role that persons with disabilities play in creating an inclusive and sustainable world' and 'the importance of the participation of persons with disabilities in decision-making processes' that directly affect their lives.