Number of disabled employees in the public sector reaches 68 thousand

The Barrier-Free Life Fair and Awareness Summit (EYAF EXPO 2023), hosted by the Ministry of Family and Social Services and for which Anadolu Agency is the global communication partner, continues.

During the event within the scope of the summit, Göktaş expressed her condolences to the family of police officer Musa Erdem, a member of her close protection team who was martyred in a traffic accident, and prayed for God's mercy upon him.

Stating that the fundamental duty of the Ministry is to develop social policies suitable for the needs and demands of all citizens without any discrimination and to organize services based on these social policies, Göktaş expressed that they aim to offer equal opportunities for all citizens, and that they approach disabled and elderly citizens with more care and sensitivity.

Minister Göktaş noted that they support individuals struggling with any disability to move independently and encourage their participation in social life, and continued as follows:

"Increasing the visibility of the services we provide to disabled individuals, who make up 5 percent of the world population and 7 percent of the general population of Turkey, is also among our priority goals. For this, we first took the rights of disabled individuals under protection with the Disability Law we enacted in 2005. I would like to proudly state that we are one of the first countries in the world to sign the 'Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities'. With our President declaring 2020 as the 'Year of Accessibility', we shared the '2030 Barrier-Free Vision Document', for which we accelerated our efforts, with the public in 2021. With this document, we have made our work in the field of disability an integral part of our national policies."

Expressing that they aim to improve service delivery at the central and local levels and remove barriers with the "2nd Autism Action Plan" they implemented in April, Göktaş stated that they carry out family-oriented service programs for citizens in need of care, and that they are trying to improve the living conditions of disabled individuals and their families with service models such as home care assistance, temporary guest care, and daytime care.

Minister Göktaş emphasized that they will continue to carry out new studies to cover the needs of disabled individuals in a changing and transforming world, and that they have started to offer all services on digital platforms as well.

Stating that the "Accessibility Monitoring and Inspection Commissions" established within the governorates continue their work, Göktaş explained that they organize training for architects and engineers in public institutions and municipalities to build barrier-free cities.

FREE TRAVEL OPPORTUNITY FOR THE DISABLED

Göktaş said, "We provide free travel opportunities for our disabled citizens and their companions in urban public transport, and on intercity rail and sea routes. In 2012, we achieved a world first and moved the KPSS to a digital environment. Through this, we increased the employment rate of our disabled citizens in the public sector. While the number of disabled people working in the public sector was approximately 5 thousand in 2002, we have brought this number to 68 thousand today."

On the last day of the summit, Speaker of the Grand National Assembly of Turkey Numan Kurtulmuş, Minister of Youth and Sports Osman Aşkın Bak, and Istanbul Governor Davut Gül also attended the event and visited the stands.

Rabia Birsen Güvercin, a disabled individual who opened the 1 million lira question on the quiz show "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?", also gave a speech.

News Source: 12punto