Disabled Iranian woman built her own motorbike
Ironically, however, she isn't allowed a license...
A DISABLED Iranian woman frustrated with the lack of accessible transport took matters into her own hands and designed an adapted motorcycle.
Zahara Sedighi was left unable to walk after suffering from polio as a child. And with no adapted transport her hometown of Mashhad in the southeast of the country, she designed her own motorcycle to get around.
But despite having used the vehicle for the past seven years, unwritten rules in Iran mean that the 39-year-old cannot get a driving license.
While there is no formal Iranian law forbidding women from riding motorcycles, police refuse many requests for permits. Despite the support of a police officer in obtaining her license, the Head of Traffic Police told Sedighi that he cannot give a license to a woman.
According to EuroNews.com, Iran's vice-president for women and foreign affairs, Masoume Ebtekar, is investigating her situation.
There are over 1.3 million disabled people in Iran, many of who suffer because the lack of accessible infrastructure. A bill, entitled the Comprehensive Protection Act for Disabled Citizens, is expected to be debated in parliament later this summer and if approved will reform buildings and transport facilities in a order to improve life for disabled people.
