Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş said, "With the services provided by AİLEM Barrier-Free Communication Center, we aim to facilitate the lives of more than 900.000 people with hearing impairments in the country."

In her speech at the ceremony held at the building of the Ministry, Minister Göktaş stated that the Ministry supported the public in every field needed with a supply-oriented service approach.

Reminding that the President of the Republic of Türkiye Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's declaration of 2020 as the Year of Accessibility accelerated the work on barrier-free living, Göktaş added, "Today, we will present to your appreciation a special study we have prepared to further support the social participation of persons with hearing impairments. With the services offered by the AİLEM Barrier-Free Communication Center, we aim to make life easier for more than 900.000 persons with hearing impairments in the country."

Stating that the Ministry greatly facilitated people's lives with the social services provided for persons with hearing impairments in the last 20 years in Türkiye, Göktaş said that currently the Ministry provided services with a total of 78 Turkish sign language interpreters in 57 provinces, and that the interpreters provided approximately 4.500 translation services to persons with hearing impairments in areas such as land registry, municipality, governor's office, notary, bank and healthcare in the last 3 years.

"The center can be reached both through the web and mobile application"

Minister Göktaş stated that the Ministry made necessary arrangements and opened the Family Child magazine on the web for use of children with hearing and visual impairments.

Stating that the Ministry published the Current Turkish Sign Language Dictionary web page consisting of approximately 11.500 videos in 2017 for those wishing to learn and improve Turkish sign language, Göktaş said that the dictionary was accessed more than 4.5 million times from 150 different countries so far.

Stating that AİLEM Barrier-Free Communication Center offered very special opportunities for all citizens with or without hearing impairments to hear and understand each other, Göktaş continued as follows:

"[The center] is becoming a common communication center for everyone who uses Turkish sign language. The contact center can be accessed via both the web and the mobile application. Turkish Sign Language Interpreters can be reached with one button. In the center, first of all, citizens with hearing impairments are provided with access to the information needed. It is also possible for citizens with hearing impairments to have conferences with the people of their choice, accompanied by an interpreter. For example, a parent wishing to reach his/her child's teacher, an employee wishing to meet with his/her manager or a citizen with hearing impairments wishing to apply for a job will be able to receive video interpreting services by calling the center. Therefore, citizens with hearing impairments will participate fully and effectively in public life."

Göktaş pointed out that the Barrier-Free Communication Center would build a solid bridge between people.

Stating that a teacher together with a parent with hearing impairments or a doctor with a patient with hearing impairments can also receive support from interpreters, Göktaş emphasized that she believed that the AİLEM Barrier-Free Communication Center would strengthen communication and contact between citizens.

Following her speech, Minister Göktaş connected live to the AİLEM Barrier-Free Communication Center and demonstrated how the system worked in practice.