4 February 2023
The TURKISH BEYAZAY ASSOCIATION, which serves people with disabilities, launched the Accessibility Certificate Project by entering into a partnership agreement with EUKOBA (the European Accessibility Competence Centre), which operates in a similar field in Europe. Training was given to 27 course participants at the Bağcılar Municipality Disability Centre.
The course was also run on a practical basis. In this part, the participants were dressed in special garments that made them feel as though they had a disability. During the training, wearing these special garments and feeling as though they were paralysed, blind or deaf, the participants examined how suitable venues were for people with disabilities.
Through the joint work carried out between the TURKISH BEYAZAY ASSOCIATION and EUKOBA (the European Accessibility Competence Centre) with the support of Bağcılar Municipality, people able to take part in ‘‘Accessibility Quality Certification’’ work will be trained FOR THE FIRST TIME in our country.
The President of the Turkish Beyazay Association, Lokman AYVA, also drew attention to the importance of projects that make life easier for people with disabilities in the city. Noting that access ramps must meet the standards, AYVA said: “Access ramps provide people with disabilities with their connection to the outside world. For this reason they must meet the standards. They make their lives easier in one way or another. ” Noting that they were carrying out the Accessibility Certificate work with a team from Germany, Ayva said that after the training given by the instructors the participants would assess, according to defined criteria, whether a venue or centre is accessible for people with disabilities and would be able to issue certification on that basis, adding: “For example, access ramps in our country vary according to the outlook of the contractors. Yet in all developed countries in Europe they are built to the same standard. Our aim is to achieve the same standard in our country too.”