The number of people with disabilities rose during the years of revolution and war, as well as due to the February 6, 2023 earthquake<\/a> that struck northern Syria and southern Turkey. In all, around 2.6 million<\/a> disabled people live in Syria.\u00a0<\/p>\n While Syria\u2019s new government has made some efforts to include those with disabilities in public employment<\/a> and society<\/a>, the country\u2019s public transportation and infrastructure<\/a> remains a daily obstacle, one that isolates disabled Syrians and prevents them from fully participating in public life.<\/p>\n \u201cThe acute daily mobility challenges that disabled people face stem from the absence of infrastructure that accommodates their needs\u2014from unsuitable sidewalks and unsafe roads to the absence of guidance signals for the blind, as well as buses that are not equipped for people with disabilities. This turns the right to mobility into a constant struggle and unspoken form of social exclusion,\u201d said Marai al-Ramadan, head of the nonprofit organization Deirna Nexus<\/a>.<\/p>\n A daily struggle<\/p>\n Before returning to Zamalka after the Assad regime fell in December 2024, Awad lived in Gaziantep, a Turkish city near the border with Syria. \u201cThe city is served by public transportation, and accommodates people with disabilities,\u201d he said. \u201cTraffic is organized, the buses are modern and climate controlled in summer and winter, and there are apps that allow passengers to know the schedule,\u201d making it \u201ceasier to move around without wasting time waiting.\u201d<\/p>\n But in Syria, public transportation does not operate regularly, and there are no places reserved for disabled passengers. Additionally, some drivers do not respect their needs and load buses with more passengers than their capacity allows, Awad added.<\/p>\n Although Awad\u2019s job in the media requires him to be particularly punctual, he is still sometimes late for work. Occasionally, he has to take a taxi, paying many times the cost of bus fare, to arrive on time for his shift.\u00a0<\/p>\n Microbus fare costs 3,000 Syrian pounds (SYP) ($0.25), and because he needs to transfer to get to his job, Awad pays SYP 6,000 ($0.50). When he needs to use a taxi, he pays SYP 60,000-70,000 (between $5 and $6).<\/p>\n A crowd gathers near microbuses in Abbasid Square in the Syrian capital Damascus, 2\/2\/2026 (Anas Awad)<\/p>\n Muhammad Haddad, 49, experiences similar challenges in Aleppo, Syria\u2019s second-largest city. Haddad lost his sight in 2016, when his eyes were injured and he was transferred to Turkey for treatment that was ultimately unsuccessful. He remained in Turkey with his wife and five children for years, until returning to Syria after the Assad regime fell.\u00a0<\/p>\n In Turkey, Haddad did not use a white cane to get around, but relied on the help of his wife and eldest son. Still, he noticed that there were sidewalks with accommodations for the blind to help them walk on foot and facilitate access to public transportation, he told Syria Direct.\u00a0<\/p>\n When he returned to Aleppo, he was struck by the scale of destruction and poor infrastructure, with \u201cbroken sidewalks, open potholes and many bumps,\u201d he said. This makes it harder for all pedestrians to navigate the city, but poses a particular challenge to those with disabilities.<\/p>\n Within a month of returning to his neighborhood of al-Izaa, Haddad managed, with difficulty and caution, to memorize the local terrain. Still, he only ventures out with his son, who guides him with warnings such as \u201clook out for a hole, a bump, a tree, a car parked on the sidewalk,\u201d he said. By the time he arrives at his destination, he hears \u201caround 70 comments from my son, while in Turkey he used to give me three.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A distance Haddad could have covered in five minutes on foot in Turkey takes him 20 or 30 minutes in Syria, due to \u201cthe destruction in the street and reckless driving by cars, and motorcycles,\u201d he said. Since returning, he has not attempted to use public transportation because of the \u201cdifficulty of getting around.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n A January 2026 report<\/a> by the Syrian Dialogue Center noted that 44 percent of roads within Aleppo city, and particularly its eastern neighborhoods, have been damaged. This comes alongside longstanding neglect and reliance on patchwork solutions that have become a chronic problem over time.\u00a0<\/p>\n Public transportation in Syria lacks basic services disabled people need, said Firas al-Mansour, head of the Turkey-headquartered Emergency Response Association<\/a>. \u201cThere is a lack of awareness of this part of society, which increases the difficulties they face,\u201d he told Syria Direct.<\/p>\n Al-Mansour\u2019s organization considers accommodations for disabled people in its projects when constructing buildings or service facilities. Its role is limited to schools, but it is trying to increase community awareness and foster a culture of caring about people with disabilities, he said. He called on the Syrian government to support disabled people in all its projects, including those related to roads and transportation.\u00a0<\/p>\n Transportation that adequately serves disabled people should be treated as \u201ca rights and development issue, not just a service issue,\u201d said al-Ramadan, in Deir e-Zor. His organization takes the view that the right to safe and equal mobility and access to education, work and public services is a basic condition for participating in society, he said.<\/p>\n His organization, Deirna Nexus, aims to include disabled people in its staff and work teams and provide opportunities for participation \u201cnot only as beneficiaries, but as actors and partners in planning and implementation, to promote inclusion and ensure the programs reflect their actual needs,\u201d al-Ramadan said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Barrier to return<\/p>\n Muhammad al-Muhammad, 34, who lives in Germany, is closely following the service situation in his home city of Homs, especially as it concerns people with disabilities. Al-Muhammad has been partially paralyzed since 2016, when he was shot by Turkish border guards as he attempted to cross the border to visit his family in the city of Urfa.\u00a0<\/p>\n Since arriving in Germany at the start of 2021, al-Muhammad has been able to move around independently because services\u2014including public transportation\u2014include accommodations for people with disabilities. Under the current circumstances, it is difficult for him to consider returning to Homs, where he will be forced to \u201crely on an accompanying person,\u201d he told Syria Direct.<\/p>\n \u201cI have the intention of returning to Homs, but I need an equipped house,\u201d he said, not to mention that he would not be able to go out alone using his wheelchair because of the poor condition of the streets and lack of accessible public transportation.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIn Western countries, there are ramps at the main door of buses and trains to facilitate wheelchair access, and the sidewalks are not as high as in Syria,\u201d al-Muhammad added. \u201cSomeone who uses a wheelchair or crutches can easily move through the streets on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n Over the past months, the transitional Syrian government\u2019s Ministry of Social Affairs and Labor has held a number of meetings aimed at supporting disabled people and developing relevant policies, programs and centers. Most recently Minister Hind Kabawat met<\/a> with the president of the regional Arab Organization of Persons with Disabilities, Nawaf Kabbara, at the start of February. Still, little has changed.\u00a0<\/p>\n Syria Direct reached out to the Ministry of Transport regarding its plans for accommodating disabled Syrians. The head of its media department, Abdulhadi Shehadeh, said provincial authorities are responsible for matters related to local transportation, while the ministry is concerned with main roads.\u00a0<\/p>\n The General Authority for Passenger Transport\u2014which falls under the Ministry of Local Administration and Environment\u2014told<\/a> the official Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) last June that it intended to modernize the country\u2019s transportation system by importing modern electric buses and preparing infrastructure to charge and operate them as part of a national plan to move towards clean and sustainable energy in the transportation sector.\u00a0<\/p>\n Syria Direct reached out to the General Authority for Passenger Transport\u2019s media director, Omar Qattan, for more details, but received no response by the time of publication.\u00a0<\/p>\n Iman Halloum, 58, who has a spinal deformity and walks using crutches, said public transportation access for people with disabilities must be a priority. She called on the governor of Homs and all relevant authorities to \u201csecure means of transportation that are suitable for people with disabilities, because these citizens need transportation that ensures their free and safe movement the most.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Halloum, a retired employee of the Homs Water Resources Directorate, told Syria Direct she cannot \u201cuse the current public transportation because of my condition, nor can I rely on a taxi because of my financial situation, so I often have to walk for a long time in the rain or sun.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cAccessible transportation must be provided, or designated spaces for people with disabilities should be allocated in buses and public vehicles, and wheelchair ramps should be installed,\u201d Halloum said. She also called for \u201censuring free healthcare and enabling women to work on sustainable projects.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Al-Muhammad, in Germany, noted the need for a representative of people with disabilities in each province who can advocate for their rights and convey their voices to governors in order to ensure swift measures are taken regarding accessible transportation or infrastructure.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThere can be no real recovery or just reconstruction in Syria without cities and villages that are friendly to people with disabilities, without policies that guarantee their dignity, independence and full right to mobility and life,\u201d al-Ramadan emphasized.\u00a0<\/p>\n Al-Ramadan called for accessibility to be adopted as a mandatory standard in all\u00a0 service or urban development projects, addressing ministries, municipalities, local councils, and planning and implementing bodies responsible for ensuring the right to safe mobility for Syrians with disabilities.\u00a0<\/p>\n This report was originally published in Arabic<\/a> and translated into English by Mateo Nelson.\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/WhatsApp-Image-2026-02-01-at-11.43.15-800x450.jpeg\")
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