Infrastructure, Facilities for Disabled Tourists Inadequate

The infrastructure and facilities for disabled tourists across the country are inadequate, the head of Iranian Disability Support Association said.

Speaking to ISNA, Ali Mahmoud-Nejad added that hotels and cultural centers do not provide even a single facility for the convenience of the disabled.

Mahmoud-Nejad noted that even the most luxurious lodging centers do not have standard rooms for the disabled and toilets along the route are not designed for these people.

"Iran's Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization had launched a scheme to offer discounts to disabled persons visiting museums, but it was never enforced," he said.

He urged the authorities to change their long-standing policies and clear the way for the disabled to improve their status.   Highlighting the untapped potentials of the disabled in the field of arts, Mahmoud-Nejad said the handicrafts industry could highly benefit from the talents of the physically challenged people.

"Establishing art workshops compatible with the physical conditions of the disabled could help boost handicrafts industry and enhance the country's international position in the field," he said.

According to Sadollah Nassiri Qeydari, secretary-general of the National Commission for UNESCO, about 11.5 million people in Iran or 15% of the population suffer from some kind of disability.