Speaking at a one-day educational seminar for directors and advisors of the organization, Abbasi outlined the main priorities of her department. These include: reducing the incidence of disabilities, addressing the root causes of social harms, raising public awareness for prevention, expanding genetic counseling to strengthen family foundations, and improving early screening and intervention programs for autism, vision, and hearing disorders.
She highlighted key rehabilitation measures such as the development of efficient care models—including temporary residence centers for autism, comprehensive in-home services, training for formal and informal caregivers, implementing standards for residential facilities, and expanding sports therapy programs for residents.
Abbasi emphasized the downsizing of overcrowded residential centers as a major policy. To achieve this, the organization is supporting families through caregiving allowances, creating small-scale supportive homes—of which 279 have already been established—and restructuring existing large facilities.
On financial support, she noted efforts to equalize caregiver allowances with residential center costs, and to fully implement Article 28 of the Law on the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. While the law mandates a monthly payment of 100 million rials (approx. USD 200), current allocations reach only about 36 million rials, requiring an additional 700 trillion rials in funding. She also called for adjusting subsidies to match the real cost of non-governmental rehabilitation services, which currently average 8.5–10 million rials per month compared to actual expenses of nearly 20 million.
Other initiatives include improving service quality, enhancing accessibility, promoting tele-rehabilitation with a family-centered approach, expanding sign language education, and encouraging greater family involvement through parent-teacher associations at rehabilitation centers.
In the field of rehabilitative medicine, Abbasi announced plans to expand skill-based training programs with a focus on employment opportunities for people facing severe barriers to work. Artistic rehabilitation is also being pursued with a community-oriented approach, particularly through the development of art centers in rural and under served regions.
As part of this effort, the House of Art will serve as a national pilot project. The multi-purpose facility will feature a studio (Plato) for performing arts, a gallery for visual and handicraft exhibitions, an Art Studio for training and production, an Art Boutique to showcase crafts such as metal engraving, and a Café Art to encourage interaction between artists and visitors.
Abbasi also announced that during Government Week, the organization will inaugurate 200 Community-Based Rehabilitation (CBR) centers, establish advisory secretariats for families of children with autism, and create a new Secretariat for Persons with Disabilities to ensure their active participation in policy making and monitoring.
Finally, she reported that efforts are underway to standardize elderly care and rehabilitation centers across the country. Next week, 300 facilities will be assessed, and those meeting the requirements will be officially certified.
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