Evaluating the Impact of Urban Policies for Disabled in Izmir

Abstract

In the world, more than 1 billion people are experiencing disability every day, and the phenomenon of disability has been increasingly discussed each passing day. That the individual mutually interacts with the built environment and society, moreover, that physical and behavioral barriers from outside are concrete and abstract barriers that limit the individual's activities are important approaches that have been discussed for a long time. What is described here is that what creates the situation of 'being restricted' or 'disability' is the restrictive environment, society's negative and wrong attitudes. Although there are many regulations, studies and initiatives on disability and accessibility approaches in our country, it is seen that there are insufficient holistic studies, which are proceeded to remove physical and behavioral barriers and make investments in the social sphere. In this study, it was aimed to analyze the process of innovative policy making and implementation, which deals with the concept of disability both physically and socially, from a holistic perspective. In line with this aim, the 'Accessible Izmir Project' of Izmir Metropolitan Municipality was examined as a case that handles the disability phenomenon in the light of the socio-politic model and sees accessibility as a physical and social phenomenon. This project is an initiative that aims to ensure accessibility, to support initiatives in the social field, making studies to ensure the participation of the disabled in public and social life, and to create a more livable and inclusive city in doing so. In accordance with this purpose, within the scope of this project, studies are being made to get rid of both physical and attitudinal barriers. While adopting incentive approaches to provide accessibility, efforts are being made to break down perceptions and approaches, which are negative, incomplete and wrong, against people with disabilities. In this study, through the semi-structured interviews with the main actors of this project, the dimensions of this sample, disability, and approaches to accessibility are examined.