Iran’s Interior Ministry has failed to provide adequate support for the enhancement of public spaces for disabled Iranians, says a member of the Tehran Council for Improving Public Spaces.
The Ghanoon website reported on Saturday that Soheil Moini laid out the problems facing the council, adding that “despite cabinet’s approval of necessary regulations and the widespread mobilization of grassroots organizations, the Interior Ministry keeps procrastinating on accommodating the rights of the disabled.”
He stressed that many city spaces, including busy stations, subways, buses and parks, have to be adjusted to be accessible to the disabled, adding that despite the popular misconception, there is a large population of disabled in the country.
Moini went on to say that a new park is built in Tehran each month, but no provisions are made to ensure the facilities are accessible to disabled citizens.
The head of the Association for the Disabled announced last January that the price of wheelchairs had risen tenfold in just a few months, which has further strained the lives of Iran’s three million disabled people.
