The Neglected Files for Supporting People with Disabilities

One of the most important demands of the disability community is the implementation of Article 27 of the Law for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities. To pursue this, they have held several peaceful gatherings in front of the Iranian Parliament, the Planning and Budget Organization, and other relevant authorities. According to this law, the government is required to pay at least the minimum wage each year to individuals with severe and very severe disabilities who are unemployed and have no income. However, this legal provision has remained unaddressed and is not being implemented.

The Neglected Files for Supporting People with Disabilities
According to Salamat News, quoting Shargh newspaper, Pouya Jamekouhi, an 18-year-old young man, has been battling with severe spinal cord injury since birth and now faces multiple disabilities. He has undergone three spinal surgeries and incurred high treatment costs, but the Welfare Organization has provided no support. His mother, who used to assist him with physical care before suffering from back and neck disc issues, now only receives help from his father.

Pouya and his father, who criticize the exorbitant costs of treating a spinal cord injury patient, often reuse hygiene products or purchase expired items at lower prices due to the high cost of medical supplies. Pouya states, “We have repeatedly informed the public about the struggles of people with disabilities. We even swore on social media that the conditions for people with disabilities have worsened, but we received no support, and the rights approved by the parliament have been withheld from us. Today, I spent 390,000 tomans on a pack of Easy Life diapers, about 70,000 tomans more than a month and a half ago. I need five packs of these diapers every month. The price of disposable urine bags increases each month. The cost of a new disposable Nelaton catheter is around 16,000 tomans and keeps rising. The price of hygiene supplies like catheters, bags, and adult diapers keeps increasing.”

Bedsores and the Pain of Expensive Treatment
Pouya, who has received help from benefactors to purchase a wheelchair cushion, mentions that his annual requests to the Welfare Organization for a wheelchair cushion have gone unanswered. He adds, “The high cost of hygiene products for people with spinal cord injuries, like students who must sit on wheelchairs for extended hours and wear diapers, is extremely difficult. Many of us develop painful bedsores, which are unbearable. The cost of wound dressings for these bedsores exceeds 10 million tomans per month, depending on the severity. If we neglect these wounds for even an hour, they worsen. Many disabled individuals and patients cannot afford specialized bed sore dressings and are under pressure. Two years ago, when I had severe bedsores, the nurse charged 200,000 tomans for daily dressing changes, and this amount has now risen to 500,000 tomans.”

The Exorbitant Costs of Hygiene Supplies for People with Disabilities
Pouya Jamekouhi, due to reusing hygiene products, lost one of his kidneys. Many people with spinal cord injuries experience severe kidney infections due to frequent use of non-sterilized or substandard catheters and urine bags, leading to dialysis.
Osteoporosis and severe spinal deformities are other issues that people with spinal cord injuries face, keeping them in constant distress for years. Pouya’s physician attributes the kidney infections to the reuse of catheters and bags, which should only be used once and then discarded. However, for Pouya and many others, this is not financially feasible.

The Tough Livelihood of People with Disabilities
The implementation of Article 27 of the Law for the Protection of Persons with Disabilities remains one of the key demands of the disability community. In response to this demand, they have organized peaceful protests in front of the Iranian Parliament, the Planning and Budget Organization, and other entities. According to this law, the government is obligated to pay at least the minimum wage to individuals with severe and very severe disabilities who have no job or income. However, this provision has not been implemented.

A small ray of hope emerged when, according to a parliamentary resolution, severely disabled people and veterans were to receive an 8 million toman stipend. However, the Guardian Council raised issues with the resolution, and the Parliament, in a revision, decided that the amount of the stipend would be determined by the Cabinet based on Article “P” of the 2024 Budget Bill. The silence of the Guardian Council regarding this issue has left disabled people concerned that, as in previous years, the government will provide a minimal stipend, exacerbating their financial struggles.

A Law That Collects Dust
Behrouz Moradi, director of the Disability Rights Campaign, reported that the Guardian Council raised objections to the Parliament’s resolution, which aimed to provide a stipend equivalent to 75% of the minimum wage for the families of deceased veterans, financially struggling combatants, and people with severe disabilities, without requiring a “means test.” He emphasized, “According to this resolution, severely disabled people are excluded from receiving the 8,700,000 toman monthly stipend that was intended for them. After being rejected by the Guardian Council, the resolution was returned to Parliament, where it was decided that the amount of the stipend would be determined by the government, along with a means test. Unfortunately, this has allowed the government to set the stipend amount, pushing Article 27 of the Disability Law aside.”

He views the Guardian Council’s objections as strange and obstructive: “The means test should not include people with disabilities because disability costs are not reflected in the standard income brackets. The cost of disability is equivalent to the expenses of an entire family, and the expenses of a family with a disabled member are much higher and incomparable to those of other families.”

Disabled People Left in Injustice
Moradi declared that this situation represents absolute injustice for people with disabilities and their families, saying, “It seems that people with disabilities have been left in a deadlock, intentionally subjected to harm and abuse. Their crucial and urgent demands are being sidelined and ignored. How can all the documented efforts, letters, and protests be ignored? How is it possible that the government does not implement the law, and Parliament, instead of addressing this issue, provides the government with a legal tool to suppress and further weaken people with disabilities?”

“We expected facilitation from the Guardian Council as an independent branch of government, yet we do not know what has happened behind the scenes. The problems for people with disabilities are growing more complex each day, and there is no hope for a resolution. As a social activist in the field of disability, I see no clear path for reform.”