To change the world, it is necessary to overcome not physical but mental limits. Today is December 3rd... World Day of Persons with Disabilities. But in Turkey, being disabled often means being invisible. Like a silent scream, like a cry that is not heard.
Disabled people are often ignored in practice, even though their legal rights are recognized on paper. Accessibility is still a luxury; inequalities in education, health and employment are chronic. Sidewalks, public transportation and government offices continue to be areas of struggle for people with disabilities. This is not just an individual problem; it is a social injustice and each one of us is a witness to it.
Current Situation in Turkey
According to official records, there are 2,511,950 disabled people in Turkey, of which approximately 775,012 are severely disabled. Civil society organizations state that the real number may be around 8-9 million. The silent struggle of millions of people is out of sight.
Employment: The number of disabled civil servants working in the public sector is around 80,700, private sector and total employment is around ~200,000. Only %8-10 of registered disabled people are in the labor force. Millions who want to work, produce and stand on their own feet are still outside the system.
Education: The number of students with disabilities enrolled at university level is ~39,243. Even when mainstreaming and special education are included, the access rate of people with disabilities to the education system is still limited; according to official figures, only %1-2 have access to higher education. Every single child, every single young person, with their dreams and hopes, is often lost in the system.
In Turkey, disability should no longer be a matter of political preference, but a criterion that questions the conscience of the system and society. If every individual does not have equal rights, the principles of democracy and social state will remain only in rhetoric. Not hearing the voices of people with disabilities, making them invisible, is actually society silencing its own conscience.
The Problem of Law Enforcement and Supervision
Although the legislation specifies positions reserved for persons with disabilities in both the public and private sectors, implementation is often inadequate. Legal rights often remain only on paper; the lack of supervision by authorized institutions prevents disabled people from exercising their rights in practice. The government should not only determine the positions by law, but also ensure and supervise the implementation of these rights in real life. Otherwise, laws remain only a token guarantee and the hopes of millions of people remain in their hands.
Inequality of opportunity in education, discrimination in business life, difficulty in accessing health services... These are not only “problems of persons with disabilities” but also problems of the state and society. When laws are not enforced, resources are insufficient and prejudices of the society come together, the lives of disabled people turn into a dramatic picture.
December 3 is not just a day of reminder; it is a warning. Making life easier for people with disabilities, making them visible and defending their rights is also a measure of being a democratic society. Justice is achieved not only through laws on paper, but also through the implementation of equality in daily life.
Today should be a day to tear down the policies, prejudices and walls that ignore them, not the disabilities. Because the freedom and rights of people with disabilities are directly linked to the freedom and justice of society. Hearing the silent cries is no longer a postponement, but an obligation.
And let us not forget: To change the world, it is necessary to overcome not physical but mental limits. Defending the rights of every disabled person, touching the dreams of every child is actually touching the conscience of all of us.