Özel İnsanlar

SPECULUM
INTERVIEWS WITH DISABLED PEOPLE

Today’s world, the number of disabled people is really high and has an increasing graphic. This is the fact in Turkey and the same for all world. Today, %12 of Turkey’s population consists of disabled people. In the world numbers are quite same. %10-12 of world’s population is disabled people. But in Turkey and in the world, those disabled population can’t live in a peaceful way and they have problems on the way to reach success (For more information link www.turkquad.org english version is under construction). Of course there are exceptions and those exceptions have to have a mission to raise the awareness of the society. That’s why I made interviews with three different disabled people in Turkey who had reached success in life and giving importance to other disabled people’ lives. I asked all of them the same questions. Here are the questions:

1-) What are the physical and social problems that disabled people in Turkey are facing in their daily lives?
2-) How should it be?
3-) Do you think that disabled people’s disabilities are a handicap of them in the way o reaching success? Why/Why not?
4-) Can you give some examples of famous people that have reached to a success in their lives? Do you think that they have to have a mission to help other disabled people?
5-) How do you think that society’s view to the disabled people can be changed?

The first disabled person that I made an interview with is Avni Arikan who is a banker. Here are his answers to the questions above:

1-) The first problem that disabled people are facing with is their own disabilities. In a human body, everything is connected to each other but if there is something missing, this causes physical disability and it brings mental problems too. But physical problems that disabled people are facing, depends on the degree of the disability. A person who is using whellchair probably have different problems than a person who is walking with crutch. It is impossible to generalize all disabled people’s problems. But there is something common for all of them. They all away from the others and this makes disabled people unsocial.

2-) First of all, rehabilitation for disabled people, education and proper environmental conditions have to be maintained. But the most important thing for a disabled people is to be HUMAN. This means that they have to take place in the community as much as the others. It has to known that they are an individual and has an importance as a human being.

3-) The meaning of success can be different for each person. And also it differs for disabled people. For a disabled people, it can be success to climb a high sidewalk by herself/himself. But for another disabled person, success can mean to steal something from a market secretly. It depends on what you understand from success. But if the success means to be useful for the world, of course disabilities musn’t be a handicap for disabled people.

4-) Not only disabled people, the others also have to take part in activities for disabled people. This shows society’s awareness too..

5-) First of all, disabled people have to learn how to look themselves. But in society, people have to think positively. This can’t be maintained by lows, it has to be inside the people and it has to be maintained by education. And also in the sociaty, freedom, equality and such concepts have to be well understood.

The second person that I made an interview with is Elif Özen who is also a disabled person becouse of a trafic accident and at the same time, an employee in Eyüboglu High Schools. I asked her the same questions. Here are her answers:

1-) In Turkey, people are facing with many problems and mainly there are becouse of acrhitectural mistakes, social, economical and transportation difficulties. In addition to those problems, there are educational problems too. As a soceity, we are sensitive and we like to pitty people, some many people act disabled people like they are beggers. This condition causes mentally problems for disabled people.

2-) The basic education about disabled people should be given in the family and continue in school. The laws that protect disabled people and decrease their problems should be well applied and controled by the government. In transportation and buildings, people have to think of disabled people and built things by taking in mind those people too.

3-) In Turkey, disabilities are a handicap for a person to reach success. But this isn’t how it should be! Actually in the society, nobody is expecting any success from disabled people. Disabled people can’t have a career on what he/she wants, can’t eat where he/she wants, can’t go to the theatre or cinema and he/she can’t even marry with a person who he/she loves!

The last person that I made an interview with is Teslime Taplaci who is depended on a wheelchair and works in a newspaper as the writer of crossword puzzle. Here are her answers to the questions:

1-) As a person who is using wheelchair, I can simply say that everywhere there are architecturally handicaps. It is quite impossible to reach hospitals, theatres by using transportation. Becouse of that we can’t get use of education and we can’t reach places where we can be part of life, social. Those things are only depended to our self effort and our families’, friends’ support.
2-) a. Problems in public transportation should be solved.

b. In school, architectural problems should be solved and help disabled students come school.
c. In schools, education should be given about disabilities and how to behave to disabled people.
d. Employement chances should be given to disabled people if their education is enough.
e. All social places (starts from houses to theatres, shopping centers) should have architectural that can also be used by disabled people efficiently.

3-) Disabilities are not the reasons of failure in life. To stop disabled people’s success causes failure. The handicaps are put by outer factors like the society and the government. The person who have reached the success makes it by only with his/her efforts. Disabled people are not seem to be equal with the others. It means disabled people begin the match 2-0 defeated in the way of success.

4-) Edip Akbayram, Aşik Veysel, Beethoven, Fikret Mualla, Eşref Armagan, Stephan Hawking, Frida Kahlo are some examples of famous people who have disabilities but reached success. Famous disabled people like those examples don’t need to do something extra for disabled people. When they become famous, it shows all people that disabilities aren’t a barrier for people. This is the greatest step for a disabled people and it is enough.

5-) It should start in families and education is very important. People have to begin learning that disabled people are also like the others. And also people have to learn how to behave to a disabled person. The another thing that can be done is a thing that a disabled person can do. Disabled people have to be in the street more often. When a person sees a disabled person in the street once a month, it is a strange thing and takes attention. But when it becomes common, people will get used to it and will learn to live with disabled people under same conditions.

Menevi Cilizoglu 10-B 517

Geri Dön