The managing director of Tavana Association considered unemployment as the most important problem of people with disabilities and said: in Iran, “887 thousand disabled people are unemployed, that is a high quantity comparing in population covered by Welfare Organization.”
According to Pak-e Tavana; Mohammad Reza Hadipour, managing director of Disability Association of Tavana said: "According to studies conducted by the DAT, unemployment and lack of access to jobs, and the lack of employment opportunities and at the same time the lack of usefulness, is the most important problems of the disabled."
"In recent years, people with disabilities have met a good social presence in the society and they have achieved high levels in education. However, the society still doubts towards the ability of this group and, the society prefers the healthy persons when their abilities are in equal level." he said.
“The unemployment rate of healthy people is 25%, but the unemployment rate of the disabled is higher than it. According to statistics, 93% of the blind, 60% of the deaf and 54% of the physically and physically disabled in our country are unemployed.” Hadipour emphasized.
The managing director of DAT stated that according to the definition of the ILO, if a person with a disability is employed, he or she is no longer disabled. DAT has entered in competitive business market in order to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities and also to provide some part of its financial needs as an entrepreneur in the field of disabilities.
90% of employers consider disabled workers efficient and useful
“Now, more than 800 people are directly employed in seven production units of DAT, and job opportunities for more than one thousand people have been provided indirectly by DAT, and more than 172 producer companies and units asked the DAT to provide workers because of their familiarity with the work process of the DAT and Firooz hygienic Group and the activities of the forces with disabilities.” Hadipour pointed out.
“According to a survey of employers and supervisors of various workshops on the ability of people with disabilities in the workplace, 65% of employers and supervisors do not know any difference between a disabled and healthy person, 25% of them Considered a worker with disability more effective than a healthy worker and only 10% Considered the presence of people with disabilities in the workplace as weaker than healthy people.” This member of the board of directors of the DAT stated.
Welfare organization does not have a correct understanding towards the disabled community in the country
Pointing out that the Welfare Organization's view towards the disabled community is wrong, Hadipour said: "Perhaps the reason is the organization's lack of proper understanding of the disabled community. During the past years, the Welfare Organization focuses all its plans to pay its pension on a limited section of the disabled community and sees its mission only in this way. "
The managing director of Tavana Association stated that the payment of the pension covers only a small part of the obligatory expenses of people with disabilities and still leaves them in need. He added Creating the bases to empower the disabled leads to financial independence independent financial employment as well as the infrastructures lead to financial independence of the disabled.
The managing director of DAT stated: Of the 2,400 billion tomans of the 2018 budget of the Welfare Organization, only 2.5 percent, equivalent to 50 billion tomans, has been spent for employment of people with disabilities, while according to the Welfare Organization's own statistics of 1.5 million disabled members of Welfare Organization 887 thousand people are unemployed.
He added: "If Welfare Organization, instead of paying pensions and keeping the disabled dependent on the government, spent this budget to provide employment for the disabled, a large number of the country's disabled community would have left the welfare cycle and become self-sufficient and capable without the need for a permanent welfare pension."

The government does not enforce the law to protect employers with disabilities
"Unfortunately, the Welfare Organization is not familiar with the pain of the disabled community," said the Iranian disabled activist. "In all countries, the government has a significant role in providing the employment, especially for the disabled. In order to support the employment of the disabled, it has been entrusted to government organizations, especially welfare, but these laws have not been implemented properly and in some cases have even been abandoned."
Hadipour continued: "For example, according to the law, the government must pay 23% of the share of disability insurance to employers, but the payment of this share is always faced with budget deficits and lack of credit, which ultimately leads to discouraging the employer and eliminates job opportunities."
The director of the DAT said: "Also, according to the law on improving efficiency, the government is obliged to pay between 30 and 50 percent of the salaries of people with disabilities who have less ability to work, so that the employer is encouraged to use these forces." The law shows the right ways to help the employment of the disabled, we are witnessing the non-implementation of the law, and the main effect is on the disabled community.