Messenger of Peace: Iranian Paralympian Embraces Activism

After Zahra Nemati suffered a debilitating spinal cord injury, her fake smile masked the pain and soothed her grieving loved ones.

I pretended I was completely fine and happy to not make my family suffer. But deep down, I was suffering a lot, Nemati said.

A car crash left the longtime martial artist confined to a wheelchair. But within three years, the native of Iran channeled her energy toward a new competitive sport: archery.

I have to live my life, and Im not going to surrender, she vowed to herself.

Six months after her new undertaking, Nemati, 28, was recruited to compete on a national level and has since set world records and won gold representing Iran at Olympic and Paralympic games. She was invited to speak at a United Nations panel in June called Sports for Inclusive Development: Empowering Persons With Disabilities Through Sport in New York City.

I pretended I was completely fine and happy to not make my family suffer. But deep down, I was suffering a lot."

When Nemati arrived on U.S. soil for the first time, she was surprised to find that the people with disabilities she encountered werent so much unlike herself. She learned that theyre also seeking equal rights and accessibility.

They follow the same message, she said.

The treatment of disabilities in Iran has improved in recent years, she said, and the Paralympics and Olympics attract nearly balanced amounts of attention. But because of sanctions against Iran's government, its difficult for her to obtain basic equipment for mobility, like a wheelchair she imports from Austria, and for archery.

Accessibility isnt complete over there, she said.

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Messenger of Peace: Iranian Paralympian Embraces Activism