For some children the world has always been defined by stillness — not by choice. Children who have spent years seeing the world only from the height of a bed, a wheelchair or the floor. For them, walking is not a rehabilitation goal or a promise. It is a distant dream. ProWalk was born from the heart of that dream.
For them, “walking” is not merely a rehabilitation goal, nor an expectation or a guaranteed promise. It is a distant dream. And it was from the heart of this dream that ProWalk was born.
ProWalk is not just a mobility-assistive device; it is a story of courage, a story of believing in the abilities of children who may never even have had the opportunity to stand. This “Rah-Barandeh” walker was designed for children with the most severe levels of cerebral palsy — children without neck control, sitting balance, or standing ability — but who still possess living spirits, the right to experience life, and the dignity of movement.
When a child stands with the help of ProWalk, something greater than movement happens. Bones that have been weightless for years begin to regain strength. Muscles that had adapted to shortening are stretched once again. The body is freed from the chains of immobility, and risks such as pressure sores, digestive complications, and physical deterioration become less severe.
On Sunday, December 16, the “ProWalk” Rah-Barandeh walker was unveiled in the city of Tabriz. The product had previously been officially introduced during the Occupational Therapy Congress in the presence of specialists in the field.
During the ceremony, Farzaneh Sahhaf, Director General of the East Azerbaijan Welfare Organization, emphasized the organization’s specialized approach and stated that the Welfare Organization aims to provide targeted services for older adults, individuals with chronic psychiatric disorders, people with intellectual and physical disabilities, autism spectrum disorders, and individuals with multiple disabilities through specialized programs tailored to each group’s needs.
She explained that these services are delivered through residential centers, daytime rehabilitation centers, home-based rehabilitation teams, family-centered rehabilitation programs, support systems for unidentified residents in care facilities, and social rehabilitation services including financial assistance and caregiver support.
Sahhaf stated that this walker was designed and manufactured for the first time in Iran through the efforts of the director of Avijeh Innovative Rehabilitation Center together with specialist engineers and a professional team. She described it as a localized product resulting from years of clinical experience, specialized research, and continuous efforts to address one of the deepest needs of children with severe cerebral palsy.
She further noted that currently 90,015 individuals with disabilities are under the support of the Welfare Organization in East Azerbaijan Province, making it the sixth-largest province in Iran in terms of the number of supported individuals with disabilities.
According to Sahhaf, the province currently operates 96 daytime centers serving 4,451 individuals and 64 residential centers serving 2,675 individuals. Additionally, 15,819 older adults are registered in the province’s welfare systems.
She added that approximately 30 billion tomans have been allocated to rehabilitation-assistive devices and prosthetic services, while the rehabilitation department’s overall programs have received more than 76 billion tomans in funding.
She also highlighted educational support programs, noting that three billion tomans in educational assistance had been provided to 4,772 students with disabilities.
Regarding community-based rehabilitation programs, she explained that 22,549 individuals had been identified through the initiative, including 20,392 residents of rural areas and 2,157 residents of urban areas.
Speaking about the ProWalk device, Sahhaf stated that it is one of the rehabilitation-assistive services designed for individuals with severe disabilities who have limited physical mobility.
She emphasized that use of the product can help individuals avoid remaining bedridden around the clock, reduce the risk of pressure sores, and create opportunities to develop manual and artistic skills. It also helps prevent social isolation, increases independence and emotional well-being, and improves quality of life.
She stressed that these efforts not only improve the physical and emotional condition of individuals with disabilities but also positively affect the morale of parents and families. Furthermore, supporting domestic products and utilizing the expertise of young specialists contributes to strengthening local production.
On the sidelines of the event, Nader Alirezaloo, founder and director of the Avijeh Innovative Rehabilitation Center, told ISNA that the center had begun research and development activities around six years ago to produce specialized products for children with cerebral palsy.
He explained that children with cerebral palsy are scientifically classified into five levels. Children in Levels 1 and 2 can usually achieve independent walking by age five with rehabilitation support, while children in Levels 3, 4, and 5 may never achieve independent walking and often require reverse walkers.
Alirezaloo continued by explaining that after producing reverse walkers, the team realized that older children needed larger devices to participate more actively in social environments. This led to the development of newer generations of walkers.
He further noted that during continued research, they discovered that some children with severe cerebral palsy could not even use reverse walkers because such devices require the ability to stand. As a result, they designed a walker enabling even children without neck control, sitting balance, or standing ability to experience upright positioning and dynamic stepping.
He emphasized that children who remain constantly seated or lying down often develop osteoporosis, digestive disorders, muscle shortening, and other physical complications. However, when they experience upright positioning and stepping movements, many of these problems are reduced or improved. Social participation also plays an important role in enhancing cognitive and speech performance.
For this reason, the newest generation of walkers was specifically designed for children with severe cerebral palsy, including those unable to control their necks, sit independently, or stand.
Alirezaloo also discussed insurance coverage, explaining that the two previous walker models had partial insurance support through supplementary insurance systems. However, because the new walker was only recently industrially registered and is still in the production phase, it has not yet entered the insurance coverage process. Nevertheless, he expressed hope that the Welfare Organization and insurance companies would support the product.
He explained that the Avijeh Innovative Rehabilitation Center has operated since 2017 under an official license from the Welfare Organization as a daytime physical rehabilitation center with a capacity of 100 individuals. The center provides specialized rehabilitation services for children with physical-motor disabilities, cerebral palsy, and related conditions.
Services provided by the center include occupational therapy, physiotherapy, speech therapy, psychology, play therapy, and individual and group educational programs for children and parents to support integrated and scientific rehabilitation.
Alirezaloo also highlighted the center’s Research and Development (R&D) unit, established specifically for designing and producing innovative pediatric rehabilitation equipment. The unit has already led to the design, production, and patent registration of several specialized products.
Among the products developed by the center are the Spider Cage therapy system, the Avijeh Space Suit, reverse walkers, the Puro walker, and the newest generation of Rah-Barandeh walkers for children with cerebral palsy known as “ProWalk.”
Amirhossein Bahmanpour, production manager of the device, added that foreign versions of ProWalk cost up to 15,000 euros, whereas the Iranian-made version is produced at less than one-thirtieth of that cost, making it more accessible for families while also contributing to national foreign currency savings.