• 19 June 2019

Accessibility

Accessibility is of utmost importance for disabled people in participating in the social life. Disabled persons’ participation in every aspect of the social life, benefitting from healthcare, educational and rehabilitative services and taking part in sports, production are directly related to the appropriate arrangement of spaces and transportation services for their needs. Therefore, the physical environment and transportation services should be organized right from the planning and design phase in a way that should be able to address the needs of the disabled.

Neo-urbanism, which emerged with the advent of industrial revolution, also brought many problems along with it. Both local authorities and central governments put in a great deal of effort to be able to tackle these urban issues. In today’s world where cities make sense to the extend that they provide for the needs of all the different people they host, the most prominent problem is the lack of facilities for such groups in these living spaces.

Accessibility means enabling the disabled to live independently and to participate fully and actively in every sphere of life and have access to the physical environment, public transportation, information and communication technologies equally. Hindering their access to the social life results in a social life without them. Therefore, every aspect of the social life should be designed with them on mind. The “Design for All” approach aims to create spaces that will fulfill the spatial, social and personal needs of all user groups including disabled and movement impaired persons.