Ministry announces plans to update the law for people with disabilities

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Yılmaz Yiğit (R) who lost his right leg is training to be a professional athlete. AA photo

Problematic phrases and articles in Turkey’s existing “Handicapped Law” will be removed, and the name of the law itself will be replaced with “Disabled Law,” the Family and Social Policies Ministry has announced.

The ministry aims to end the “isolation of disabled people” with the new regulation and by changing more than a hundred articles in the law to end practices that created special public services for disabled people.

Parks, sport halls or culture centers dedicated to disabled people will be transformed into “disabled-friendly zones,” where they can meet non-disabled people to provide social cohesion.

Compatible with UN convention

The new law is expected to be compatible with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

According to the draft, any institution that works on a regulation regarding people with disabilities will be offered the Family and Social Policies Ministry’s consideration.

The Ministry aims to provide active access to equal opportunities and fight discrimination and the abuse of disabled people.

Currently, Turkey’s disabled people receive specialized public services, but when the new law passes every public service is planned to be disabled-friendly.

Disabled hampered in public spaces

ANKARA - Anatolia News Agency

Turkey’s disabled population of around 10 million people is badly limited by environmental conditions.
There are more disabled women than disabled men in Turkey, while orthopedic handicaps constitute the most common disabilities.
Disabled people mostly complain about the poor condition and arrangement of pavements, pedestrian roads and pedestrian crossings. Some 67 percent of those recorded in the National Disabled People’s Database think pavements, pedestrian roads and crossings are not organized for their convenience. Among those questioned, 43 percent complained about parks and green areas, 38 percent found sports facilities poor, 33 percent said cinemas and theaters were unusable. Only 31 percent said they could use public transportation by themselves, while 90 percent of those who cannot use public transport alone also said they were unable to go outdoors without a companion.