Raad from Yesterday to Tomorrow!
The Raad Educational Charity Complex was established in 1984 with the aim of providing technical and vocational training to veterans and people with disabilities, initiated by a group of engineers and educated individuals passionate about serving the community, offering services completely free of charge. At that time, the future of young people who had left school or abandoned their jobs to join the battlefronts during the imposed war, and who, after being injured in the war and going through recovery, was a major concern for the engineers of Raad.
With this same intention, the work began. The Raad Complex set providing educational services to veterans and other individuals with disabilities as its main goal. However, since technical and vocational training had proven to be effective in leading to employment, the board of directors prioritized continuing this work for all physically and motor-disabled individuals, both women and men—a commitment that has continued for over thirty years.
And as for Raad…
1. Raad’s activities in 1984-1985 began at the Ghiyasi Clinic in Yaftabad (Tehran) with the holding of an industrial building drafting course.
2. This educational activity later continued in the parking lot of the Ababasir Blind Center. The allocation of this space was made possible thanks to the efforts of the managers of the Welfare Organization at that time. During this period, in addition to drafting, courses in electrotechnics, motor winding, and home appliance repair were also added.
3. After obtaining the necessary permits from the Technical and Vocational Training Organization of the country, training courses were launched based on the standards of that organization. Upon completion of these courses, successful trainees were awarded international technical skill certificates.
4. To better serve and provide more comprehensive services to individuals with disabilities, it was necessary to design and construct a building with special welfare facilities for them. Accordingly, a request was made to the relevant organizations to allocate the required land to the institute free of charge. Based on this, the then director of the West Tehran Land Renovation and Development Organization, after completing the necessary procedures, provided the current land. Construction of the building began in 1987 and, after many ups and downs, was finally completed in 2003 with the completion of the amphitheater hall, making the entire building fully operational.
5. Given the varied physical and motor conditions as well as different educational backgrounds of the dear individuals with disabilities, diverse training courses were established. Currently, more than 20 educational fields, in addition to prerequisite and developmental courses, meet the needs of the clients.
6. Due to the numerous challenges faced by trainees in terms of physical-motor, psychological conditions, and their families’ economic status, the necessity to establish a rehabilitation clinic was raised as early as 1994. With the completion of the building, the physiotherapy, occupational therapy, speech therapy, psychological, and social work services clinic, equipped with advanced equipment, began its activities and provided rehabilitation services to trainees in need, based on the assessments of relevant experts.
7. Considering the abilities of individuals with disabilities and the necessity to nurture their hidden talents, a nationwide call was made twice to identify qualified disabled individuals who demonstrated high academic capabilities. These individuals participated in the international Abilympics — a special scientific competition for people with disabilities worldwide — achieving valuable medals from countries such as India and South Korea, which was the significant outcome of this academic journey.
8. With the formation of the women’s and youth support groups, the following activities were initiated: providing one warm meal (lunch) for the trainees.
Raad’s services over the years have included: providing transportation, recruiting dedicated volunteer doctors to periodically visit trainees, organizing one-day and multi-day sightseeing and pilgrimage trips, holding celebrations and paying special attention to occasions to raise trainees’ cultural, social awareness and knowledge of personal and civil rights, pursuing entrepreneurship opportunities for people with disabilities to access suitable employment, providing dowries for brides and grooms of Raad, and allocating interest-free loans to purchase work-related tools and equipment, among other free services offered by this charitable institute.
9. Educational and rehabilitation services, along with thirty years of experience, have shown that the capabilities of individuals with disabilities exceed initial expectations. If the necessary facilities are provided, they can enter universities and pursue higher education just like others. Although higher education opportunities for people with disabilities exist sporadically across the country, due to their physical mobility challenges, lack of accessible pathways, especially in university buildings, and absence of special welfare facilities, many either drop out or face significant difficulties and hardships throughout their studies. Therefore, since 2005 (1384), Raad has established a scientific-applied higher education center, and in 2011 (1390), the first adapted higher education program was officially launched on the third floor of the Raad building. Currently, approximately 600 students, using the national university entrance exam booklet, have enrolled in their desired fields of study. Notably, 15% of these students are individuals with physical disabilities who are enrolled free of charge, while others pay tuition fees.
10. The Raad Educational Charity Complex, leveraging its experience and based on the principle that no discrimination should exist among members of society, especially people with disabilities, has focused on establishing similar centers in other provinces and cities. So far, more than twenty centers have been established through the efforts of local philanthropists and the transfer of experience from this center, providing services to disabled individuals in their regions.
Results Achieved from 30 Years of Services
Over 5,000 eligible persons with disabilities have registered at the Raad Complex in Tehran, who:
– More than 70% of them have successfully obtained technical skill certificates from the Technical and Vocational Training Organization.
– More than 20% have been employed by organizations, government departments, and the private sector, and the trainees from the early years are now at retirement age.
– More than 10 percent have started working in private workshops or cooperative companies they established themselves after receiving a loan.
An important point is that one of the major challenges faced by people with disabilities is their limited presence in society. This leads to a lack of public awareness about their capabilities, and people often hold unrealistic, consumerist, non-productive, and dependent views of them —
which in itself is a form of humiliation.
To the extent of its capabilities, the Ra’d Complex has facilitated the inclusion of people with disabilities in society. This presence has led to a shift in public attitudes, greater recognition of their needs and abilities, and access to their civil rights.
Ra’d Story
Ra’d Charity Educational Complex is approaching its 30th anniversary, and it can proudly claim that through years of experience and purposeful activities, it has played a significant role in changing society’s perception of people with disabilities. This achievement is owed to the efforts of many volunteers and individuals passionate about humanitarian work—those who have contributed as founders, planners, financial supporters, executive arms, and staff members of the complex.
Documenting all these humanitarian efforts without overlooking any of them is a truly challenging task. However, we have tried to capture a glimpse of them. To that end, we spoke with two of Ra’d’s founding members who also serve on its board of directors: Mr. Ahmad Mirzakhani and Mr. Abdollah Toussali.
Over the thirty years since Ra’d Center began its activities, 5,000 individuals have received training there. Many of them earned certifications and successfully entered the job market.
Engineer Mirzakhani is one of the four founders of Ra’d, established in 1984. He explains that in that year, after several years of war and a growing number of individuals with physical disabilities in society, a group of friends came up with the idea of creating a center to provide vocational training for those who had become disabled due to the war. Although the idea was born out of the war, it eventually expanded to include all people with disabilities.
The chairman of Ra’d’s board adds:
“Ra’d Institute began its activities thirty years ago by offering vocational training programs. These programs were designed in accordance with the standards of the Technical and Vocational Organization and aimed to equip people with disabilities with practical skills.”
With the goal of enabling trainees to participate in Ministry of Labor exams and obtain vocational skill certificates, the center aimed to empower individuals to start their own businesses, acquire municipal licenses, or secure bank loans. Engineer Mirzakhani continues:
“In the beginning, the center offered courses such as electric motor winding and home appliance repair. Over time, the training programs evolved to include fields like computer science, handicrafts, and other areas aligned with societal needs.”
Over the thirty years since Ra’d Center began its work, 5,000 individuals have received training there, and many of them earned certifications and entered the job market.
“Later, through our evaluations, we realized that many of our trainees were capable of pursuing higher education, even at the university level. This led us, in 2011, to take steps toward establishing a university tailored to their needs.”
According to this Ra’d founder, students with disabilities are also studying at other universities, but those institutions often lack proper facilities for their needs—such as accessible environments and transportation services. These shortcomings make studying at such universities extremely challenging.
In contrast, Ra’d Complex provides not only basic welfare and accessibility but also additional services such as physiotherapy, psychological support, and life skills training for these students.