On the occasion of the International Day of Disabled Persons observed annually on Dec. 3, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani announced that 10 trillion rials ($76.9 million) have been allocated to take measures in support of disabled people nationwide.
Many of the plans will focus on modifying urban infrastructures to facilitate their movement and social activities.
Rouhani addressed an event held in Tehran on Tuesday, highlighting the government's plans and efforts to make urban life more convenient for the community, President.ir reported.
The gathering was attended by a number of disabled people and officials in charge of related organizations.
Acknowledging the starring roles of the people with disabilities in academic, sports and social fields, Rouhani said, "People with disabilities are distinct from other members of the society in that they live a tougher life and face more limitations in their daily activities."
He said the government should fulfill its duty toward individuals with disabilities and provide them with equal and fair opportunities of a normal life.
Rouhani highlighted the necessity of implementing the law in support of the disabled people (passed by the parliament in 2004) and said 10 trillion rials ($76.9 million) have been allocated to start related projects throughout the country.
According to official statistics, Iran has over 3.1 million disabled people.
Government’s Resume
Speaking at the event, Rouhani said that since he took office for the first time in 2013, large contributions have been made to easing life for people with disabilities, from providing them with subsidized housing to offering financial aid packages.
He also emphasized that fruitful measures have been taken to adjust urban infrastructures for the targeted society, although much work needs to be done to reach an acceptable level.
Fortunately, municipal bodies in Iranian metropolises, from Tehran to Isfahan, are becoming more socially responsible and upgrading urban infrastructure to meet the needs of disabled people.
Mohsen Pourseyyed Aqaei, the managing director of Transportation and Traffic Organization of Tehran Municipality, said TM has increased the number of parking spaces, especially for people with disabilities, along the roadside and in public parking lots and transportation terminals.
"Work is rapidly progressing to equip all subway stations in Tehran with elevators," he said, adding that from the total of 169 subway stations in the metropolis, elevators are yet to be installed in 49 stations.
Aqaei noted that special ramps are being installed in stations to ease commutation for those with physical impairments.
“The capital's taxi fleet and stations have also been modified for the convenience of the disabled,” he said.
As a complementary measure, TM has launched an online section on its website (Map.tehran.ir) to help disabled individuals locate areas adjusted for their use.
The municipality's Information and Communications Technologies Organization is set to launch a smartphone application to include the map of disabled-friendly public places.
Users with physical disabilities can search for a particular site in the interactive map on TM’s website and find out if the place has disable-friendly facilities.
Tehran’s Bus Rapid Transit services, officially inaugurated in 2008, are also being modified to facilitate the movement of disabled people. Ramps are being installed at BRT bus stations to ease access for wheelchair users.
In October, Peiman Sanandaji, the head of Tehran Bus Company, told reporters that the capital's bus fleet has been upgraded with three new features in favor of those who are visually impaired.
TBC launched a voice bus stop announcement system in Tehran's BRT lines.
The system calls out the name of each station in advance, so the visually impaired do not miss their stop.
Sanandaji explained that at the bus stations too, the estimated time of bus arrival is announced vocally and through notice boards.
Also, 36 path guide elements, special boundaries and corduroy paths have been established at BRT stations to help the visually-impaired easily find their way to the buses.
Besides, 190 ticket machines in bus stations have been upgraded with Braille notes to ease their use for the visually challenged citizens
More to Be Done
Tehran is home to 105,758 disabled people and there is much room for making the city more livable for them.
A few years ago and following a push from Traffic Police, railings were installed in Tehran to prevent bikes from entering sidewalks. These railings have made the pavements inaccessible to many people with disabilities, especially wheelchair users.
As per the directive signed by TM, urban mangers were tasked with removing these obstacles.
Ali Asghar Eynolghozat, an aide to Tehran Mayor Pirouz Hanachi, acknowledged the hazards of bikers going on sidewalks. However, he said, this should not lead to setting up barriers that would prevent disabled people from entering a pavement.
He noted that the railings are to remain in place in areas like Tehran Grand Bazaar where vehicles are banned and bikers offering delivery services flout traffic rules and enter pavements.
According to Eynolghozat, in such areas, railings need to remain in place, but access points are to be constructed for wheelchair users.
“The same approach is to be implemented in other areas of Tehran. In other words, Tehran will become more disabled-accessible with methodical urban planning,” he added.
Bridges will be set up on all open drains across the city. Urban managers are set to use smart traffic signals that are designed to improve the flow of traffic to help pedestrians with visual or other disabilities safely cross streets, or even catch a bus, Eynolghozat added.
While municipal officials highlight efforts to ease the movement of disabled people across the city, other official entities also need to take measures for addressing the economic, social, cultural and recreational challenges facing disabled people. These will also contribute to Tehran’s sustainable development.
Time will show whether urban managers will walk the talk.
