Questions/Answers

The concept “disabled,” with social and individual consequences, has secured itself a place in various fields. Being disabled is a cause of serious social exclusion. For the disabled, being deprived of social relations, access to cultural and social activities besides basic services and the means to reach the close environment and economic field constitutes yet another disability. Getting integrated to the society, therefore, is of vital importance for the disabled. As a result of the social exclusion that they experience, the disadvantaged groups tend to cut their ties with the world and to be withdrawn. Aware of these facts, Bagcilar Municipality has been conducting works to minimize the inequality that disabled individuals face by reaching up to previously ignored disabled and disadvantages groups and integrating them to society. Bagcilar Municipality, accordingly, developed a project titled “Zero Boundary in Bagcilar.” Palace for the Disabled, both launched within the scope of this project, were constructed and designed firstly to meet the needs of the disabled individuals in terms of their social, cultural and professional development necessities. The Palace for the Disabled both provides disabled individuals with the means to get integrated into the social life and produces solutions for their employment problems. In the facility, various basic and professional trainings, culture-arts events and numerous rehabilitation-based activities are provided. The Palace thus conducts various projects that support social life, based on education and production. The facility aims to provide permanent solutions through sustainable projects and trainings. Also through professional and basic education activities in 37 different fields, it creates opportunity equality for the disabled individual by lifting the handicaps that they experience. Within the light of aforementioned points, “Zero Boundary in Bagcilar” project opens wide for the disabled the gates of a world full of hopes.

The services provided within the “Zero Barrier in Bagcilar” aim, to provide means for the disabled to sustain their own lives through contributing to their development in cognitive, sensory, emotional, social, psycho-motor, linguistic and conceptional areas, to support the disabled to be employed by providing employment opportunities through basic and professional trainings in 37 different fields, to provide means for the disabled to gain new friendships and a more colorful and enjoyable life by conducting social, cultural, artistic and sports activities, to contribute to their social and economic development through consultancy service provided to the disabled individuals and their families, to reach a social consensus for the services for the disabled to be more permanent and efficient, to handle the healthcare, social and professional problems of the disabled and provide solutions for them both nationally and internationally, to extend on a national level the services provided for the disabled individuals.

Conducting works to integrate the socially ignored disabled individuals to the society, Bagcilar Municipality, within the scope of the project “Zero Boundary in Bagcilar”, has achieved significant success by providing professional, skills and healthcare development means for the disabled residing around the area, by providing solutions for accessibility and security problems, by supporting their social and economic lives, by reducing the inequality they face through providing the means for them to sustain their own lives and by integrating them to the society.

“Zero Boundary in Bagcilar” Project provides means to demand conscious public service for the disabled as well as the able-bodied. It pioneers in extending solutions and services such as accessibility in both national and international levels and disaster relief. The activities within the project provide significant solution methods to lift the neediness concept by raising individuals that can express themselves and be self-reliant on themselves through the professional and skills trainings. By engaging in joint activities with NGOs, universities and other public institutions, the Project contribute to providing right service to right individuals and to offering the public services to the disabled rapidly. The sports and arts events and activities within the project have contributed to raising of national sportsmen, authors and illustrators, to the inclusion of every segment of the society into the production process.

As a result of the social exclusion that they face, the disadvantaged groups tend to cut off their ties with the world and be withdrawn due to the lack of education. It is then not possible for the disabled individuals that lack education to integrate to society and sustain their lives. In the light of the problems such as lack of access to education by the disabled and lack of means to find education facilities with high accessibility features, as well as the financial difficulties of the citizens residing in the area, Bagcilar Municipality launched the Palace for the Disabled, a unique and unprecedented facility, which is concerned with reducing the opportunity inequality that the disabled individuals experience.

Within the scope of “Zero Boundary in Bagcilar”, around 15.000 disabled individuals have benefitted from services to overcome current problems, social rehabilitation support and employment means, as well as the services to improve their self-reliance. The disabled individuals have integrated with the society by cultural and artistic events. The Palace contributed to the raising of authors who wrote their own books, musicians who released their albums and sportsmen who won medals in Europe and around the globe. The theatre play “The Island Without Seagulls” that the disabled individuals stages reached the students in the schools in the area, raised awareness and the disabled individuals integrated with arts. Since the Project is not restricted to the disabled only, it also reached to the families of disabled individuals especially through consultancy services provided and contributed to the welfare of the disabled individuals domestically and to their self-confidence.

Within the scope of the Project, Bagcilar Palace for Disabled, founded first in Turkey with high standards, has facilitated the accessibility for the disabled citizens. All kinds of disability problems were minimized through the accessibility opportunities in the Palace for Disabled. It is the first and only public building in Turkey that was able to get Eurocert Accessibility Certificate. It is a pioneering facility in the world through the international workshops and symposiums on religious education, method and services for the disabled. Birlikte Daha Güzel (Better Together), the journal published by the Palace, has been the first journal of living together without boundaries both in the world and in Turkey. It is a leading example due to being published in 5 different formats and being a work focused on employment. With the aim to transcend boundaries, it is published three times a year, with 5 thousand circulation, in formats of written and visual print, braille’s print for the visually disabled, flash-animated videos on the web, downloadable PDF format and audio flash version for the visually disabled. The audience of the journal is not restricted to Bagcilar, which creates a platform to include all Turkey and contributes to cohabitation.

The Palace for Disabled, launched within the scope of “Zero Barrier in Bagcilar”, is a unique and unprecedented facility that provides for the disabled individuals and their families the means and opportunities of social learning, trainings, innovations and novelties by supporting sports and arts events and trainings, employment opportunities, physical and social rehabilitation, together with the discussion and solution-creation of regarding these services on national and international platforms.

The building of the Palace for Disabled, launched within the scope of “Zero Barrier in Bagcilar”, was constructed by the Special Provincial Administration, by covering 60% of the budget. While the Palace for Disabled was coming into service, İstanbul Development Agency provided grants for the facility for Academia for Disabled and Education without Barriers Projects. The service, material and personnel expenditures of the Palace for Disabled, currently a complex facility, and Basak Special Education and Rehabilitation Center are met by Bagcilar Municipality, partially by the public education centers affiliated with the National Education Ministry and some joint partners based on projects. The Palace also receives support from NGOs, universities and volunteers from all ages.

Yes

“Zero Barrier in Bagcilar” Project has been drawing attention both nationally and internationally. The Project provides consultancy for the units that give service in this field in the country, and services of the Palace for Disabled are implemented elsewhere through taking the regional necessities. Local Administrations, primarily among them Gaziantep Metropolitan Municipality, Van Ipekyol Municipality, Denizli Merkezefendi Municipality, Sanliurfa Metropolitan Municipality, Kocaeli Metropolitan Municipality, have taken inspiration and examples from the services for disabled of the Palace for Disabled. The efforts are underway to implement these services all around Turkey through the resources of the Ministry for Family and Social Policies as well. Representatives from the countries such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Bulgaria, Azerbaijan, Iran, Sudan, Gambia have visited the Palace for Disabled that functions within the Project and demanded cooperation for replication of these services in those countries.

The sustainability of the Palace for Disabled, constructed within the scope of the Project, is powerful in the sense that it provides services through Bagcilar Municipality resources, that it covers all the needs of the disabled, that it is unique in Turkey due to its accessibility, that it meets a significant gap in its region and Turkey through its services, that it supports the disabled and their families without financial burdens, that it creates employment opportunities through sports and arts activities, that it renews itself by viewing problems through the eyes of the disabled, that it creates solutions to be a social life platform where intense participation is secured and inequality is reduced.

The Palace for Disabled improves itself according to contemporary necessities, conducts various projects in cooperation with NGOs and universities and has thus been strengthening its sustainability since the day it was first founded.

Yes

The attention for, and the success of the “Zero Barrier in Bagcilar” Project have been proven through national and international achievements. The success of services in terms of accessibility was proven by the Eurocert Accessibility Quality Certificate that EUKOBA (European Competence Center for Barrier Freedom). Academically, the robotics training conducted with Istanbul University with autistic children was discussed on international level through an academic article. The theatre play “The Island Without Seagulls” was staged 1.250 times since 2013. 110.000 children aged between 6-14 watched this play and showed changes regarding awareness for disabilities. For instance, 24 out of 100 children have perceived the fact that cooperation with the disabled is better than feeling pity, 18 started to think that the disabled can play games, 16 gave up feeling sorry for the disabled, 16 changed their views that the disabled cannot be successful, 16 comprehended that it was necessary to communicate with the disabled. The interest of both national and international guests for the Palace is a clear indicator of the Palace’s success. The success of the services is also provable through the number of the disabled individuals who benefitted from the services that amounts to around 15000.

Some of the achievements of the Project are as follows: • From amongst the Bagcilar Municipality Disabled Sports(wo)men, in athletics, Hamide Kurt in 2015, 2016, 2017, Zübeyde Süpürgeci in 2012, 2014, 2016, Nurşah Usta in 2017, Ömer Cantay in 2017, Zeynep Acet in 2015; in tossing, Hamza Doğan in 2016, scored global level achievements. • Our disabled basketball team competes in Basketball Super League. • 6 disabled individuals trained in the “Turkey’s New Authors Project” published their literature books, • The results of autistic children robotics trainings in collaboration with Istanbul University were published in an academic article, • The works conducted within Disaster Without Barriers Project received Marmara Union of Municipalities Golden Ant Award. • Designed to raise awareness to minimize inequalities, the disabled theatre play named “The Island Without Seagulls” received “Barrier Passers 2017” Culture-Arts Award from President Erdoğan, • 641 disabled individuals got employment.

Various significant variables were considered within the Project “Zero Barrier in Bagcilar” both on national and international levels and a pacemaker and sustainable project was implemented. The disabled individuals with special skills were detected and appropriate environments were created for them. Through the national and international projects, solutions for the problems of the disabled were revealed. Through cooperation with the universities, an ample ground for further research on disabilities was created. The Project gathered NGOs, institutions and organizations functioning in this regard and created a powerful platform to contribute to minimize the inequalities that the disabled face and to create a society where the disabled are content. “Zero Barrier in Bagcilar” Project, through the services it provides for the integration of the disabled individuals to the society and for improvement of the public opinion on the disabled, contributed significantly to the minimization of the inequalities that the disabled experience not only in Bagcilar or Turkey, but around the globe.

In order to create (social, cognitive, psychological, etc.) ideas regarding the disabled and their families and to provide solutions, the Project seeks cooperation with NGOs, universities and public institutions. Academic works are produced on disabilities, and cooperation is sought to announce these works both on national and international platforms. Awareness and volunteering programs for the disadvantaged groups are implemented through cooperation. The Palace for Disabled and Basak Special Education and Rehabilitation Center are used as application fields for the students studying in the disabled-oriented departments of universities, which contributes immensely to the professional skills and experiences of students. Projects, activities and events in cooperation with the universities create a cohabitation culture for the society. Panels, symposiums and workshops are organized for the education of society, the disabled and their families, the staff and the experts, in cooperation with NGOs, universities and other public institutions and organizations. The Palace housed an International Workshop on Religious Education, Methods and Services for the Disabled in 2015 with the participation of experts from 11 countries in cooperation with various institutions such as Ministry for National Education, Ministry for Family and Social Policies, Directorate of Religious Affairs, Necmettin Erbakan University, Marmara University, Istanbul University, Abant Izzet Baysal University, Hayrat Foundation, Arab Women Solidarity Foundation, Algiers Disability Organization, Tunisia Humanities and Social Sciences Faculty. The workshop contributed immensely to our understanding of disabilities both in Turkey and internationally and the results of the workshop were shared with relevant institutions. The robotics trainings with autistic individuals evaluation, conducted in cooperation with Istanbul University, included formation of control groups, as a result of which an academic article was published.

As Bagcilar Municipality, through the Project, as a result of our cooperation with different institutions in order to improve both our policies as a municipality and national policies and services, we gained various experiences and took some highlights: We reached the conclusion that local administrations would be better in charge of providing all these services due to the necessity that regional, sociological and technical requirements of a region should be taken into consideration while addressing the economic and ergonomic problems that are posed during the provision of services for the disabled. In order to improve the services that are provided both domestically and around the globe to reduce the inequality that the disabled face, which is also the focus of the Project, - Joint cooperation platforms that enable the services to be more active and academically discussible must be formed, - Volunteering works must be accelerated in order for society to understand each other, to reduce inequalities and to increase cohabitation culture, - Necessary informative channels, discussion and joint cooperation platforms must be formed for accessibility certification, - Orientation works must be conducted to prevent inequality at workplace; the supply of materials during the employment of the disabled must be supported.