Disabilities and Accessibility: Turkish Sample

Today, there are many handicapped people in the world, and their number is gradually increasing. According to a study conducted by World Bank and World Health Organization, today there are 1 billion handicapped people in the world. Handicapped people encounter countless obstacles everywhere both outside and in their own houses. These obstacles result in functional performance deficiencies and other problems for handicapped people, lower their quality of life qualities and cause various psychological and social problems. The problems of handicapped people should be considered to be an issue of global human rights; especially in Turkey, handicapped people experience many difficulties in their social lives. These problems might occur in many areas of life, and they prevent them from having a functionally integrated life in the society. The aim of this study is to identify the extent to which the legal, political, physical and social environment in Turkey allows persons with disabilities to participate in all realms of life equally with other individuals without being discriminated and; to evaluate state's obligations and make suggestions. DOI: 10.5901/ajis.2014.v3n3p23