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In 1989 upon implementation of the UN resolution 598 and subsiding of Iran-Iraq war blazes, the inflamed and crisis-stricken atmosphere of Iran witnessed a large number of the people suffering from disabilities as a result of war injuries. The Iranian legislators and authorities found meeting the financial and spiritual needs of this group one of their main priorities and relatively comprehensive rules were passed and implemented to support this group of people.
No attention has ever been paid to the basic needs and social and international rights of the ordinary disabled people in our country before the presence of the disabled people suffering from war injures in Iran both before the Islamic revolution in 1979 and after that. There was negligence in this regard despite the fact that according to non-official statistics, over 13% of Iran’s population are the disabled people whose only governmental supporter is the Welfare Organization. (This organization was designed and established to undertake numerous responsibilities with regard to taking care of the needy strata in the society including ones suffering from social disorders, women and children who have no breadwinners, drug addicts, prostitutes, the elderly people, the disabled, etc. and it is not considered to be a specific organization responsible for the disabled.)
In 1995 a group of the disabled who gathered together to exercise for wheelchair basketball games started thinking how they could support their disabled co-citizens against the pitiful and sympathetic looks of the people and the wrong understanding of the majority of them of disability.
This group called for more attention to the social rights of the disabled people and their acceptance by the society. They established an NGO in Iran under the leadership of Mr Seyed Mohammad Mousavi, one of the elites and capable disabled figures in Iran. This NGO initiated a new approach and definition of disability in the world of the disabled people and was established under the official title of ‘Tavana Disabled Association’.
This Center started by prohibiting the receipt of free contributions and donations in order to respect the human dignity of the disabled people. It even asked the mass media not to use the images and expressions of the disabled in order to collect public donations or contributions as it found this action the main obstacle on the way of building the self-confidence of the disabled people. It found the new approach a means in order to pave the grounds for the active and respectful presence and activity of the disabled in the society.
From 1990 to 2000, the founder of this Centre, identifying, attracting and using the elite disabled people, formed a strong and integrated team and established an internal interest-free fund. This fund collected the deposits of its members and started to invest and implement projects that had short-term and long-term revenues so that the Association would not require any donation or contribution by the people.
Since the early years of its activity, Tavana Association strongly started providing service to the disabled by the establishment of Housing Cooperative Co. of the Disabled (It has already managed to construct 148 apartments.), establishment of Goods Cooperative Company of the Disabled, establishment of the first public library for the disabled, launching of encouragement festivals of exemplary students, preparation for the marriage of 130 disabled couples, launching the sport facilities of the disabled women, production of short films, administration of targeted camps, administration of specialist seminars with the topic of equipping the urban system with travel and transportation facilities for the disabled, launching production, assembly and packing workshops by creating over 80 jobs for the disabled.
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