Disability in Turkey: The Risks in Being Disabled for Accessing Educational Opportunities

Year 2014, Volume: 4 Issue: 1, 53 - 62, 30.06.2014

Özgür Arun

Abstract

Types of impairments are determined by societal perceptions as to what is outside of the ‘normal’ (such as having poor health) and not ‘ideal’ (such as being female). Can it be said that these preconceptions internalized by Turkish society are systemically formed? The objective of this study is to explore the types of obstacles that impede the individual’s participation in societal life within the framework mentioned above through analysing the latest data obtained from TurkStat. Analyses indicate that one of the two types of obstacles individuals face in Turkey is physical impairment, the other is gender. Once obstacles stemming from health conditions are considered together with those related to gender within the field of education, opportunities related to visibility in and integration within the public sphere can be turn understand to be both severely and systemically limited for individuals.

Keywords

Disability, Education, Gender, Turkey, Correspondence Analysis

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