Disability in Iran

Escalation of State Killings, under Torture and Executions including of Hossein Ghavi, a person with a physical disability. (Apr, Iran HRM)

Gathering to protest government not supporting disabled people. (In Persian, 2024, Khabara Online)

Disability movement protests for benefits and implementation of law (In Persian, 2023, Ilna)

‘We exist but we are ignored’: The Iranian disability rights activist on a mission to change things. (2022, Independent)

We are never meant to run: Disabled people during the Iran war:

“For instance, on March 10, air strikes in Alborz Province heavily damaged a residential facility that housed 80 children (under 14) with learning disabilities. All children had to be transferred to other centres. On March 12, a specialist hospital for disabled people in Ahvaz was damaged due to an airstrike on the nearby buildings. According to the State Welfare Organisation of Iran (the government agency in charge of disability support services), so far, 30,000 households with disabled people have been directly impacted, 41 homes have been completely destroyed and 915 homes have sustained damage, with the extent of the damage ranging from 5% to 50%. Two disabled people in State care have died in Ilam Province in western Iran.” (Mar, The D*List)

US-Israel war on Iran is creating a steady growing number of amputees:

“Some weld wheelchairs from scrap metal, as the black market price for titanium is simply unaffordable for the working class.” (2025, The New Arab)

Fetishization of the Disabled War Veterans

“I indicate how the state has managed to use the disabled bodies of the injured survivors as a way to guarantee its survival by portraying them as an ideological construct called “living martyrs,” as opposed to disabled humans in need of physical and affective care.” (2024, Review of Disability Studies)

Overview

Iran warns sanctions taking toll on disabled people:

“sanctions imposed by the United States and many Western countries on the Islamic Republic of Iran have significantly increased the prime costs of rehabilitation items and specialized services, and affected the economic capabilities of individuals receiving such services.” (2024, Mehr News Agency)

Social Protection

Protests at non-payment of social protection benefits. (In Persian, 2023, @dscampaign1) See coverage on how the protests may have been attacked by police.

Iran amputee football team players dead in Turkey quake. (2023, Tehran Times)