Our Minister of Family and Social Services Derya Yanık stated that 2 thousand 323 persons with disabilities will be placed in the public sector today and said, "With this placement, the number of civil servants with disabilities working in the public sector will increase to 67 thousand 985."

Minister Derya Yanık spoke at the Ceremony of Placement of Persons with Disabilities in Public Institutions held in the ministry.

Yanık stating that Türkiye was shaken by the 7.7 and 7.6 magnitude earthquakes in Kahramanmaraş that took place on Monday, February 6, and that the earthquakes that were effective in an area of 500 kilometers in 10 provinces where 13.5 million people lived, caused great destruction, said: “Along with the adjacent cities where the tremors were felt, nearly 20 million of our citizens were directly affected by the disaster.”

Wishing God's mercy to those who lost their lives, patience to their relatives and the nation, and a speedy recovery to the injured, Yanık wished that no place would be tested with such great pain.

Yanık stated that from the moment of the earthquake, the institutions regarding persons with disabilities and older persons in the earthquake area were contacted quickly, the first situation information was obtained, and 1333 persons with disabilities who received service from the organizations were moved to the residential institutions in different provinces as a precaution. Yanık said: “As soon as we received the sound report of the institutions we evacuated, we opened these institutions to the service of citizens with disabilities in the region.”

Yanık said that the teams continue their work in the field in order to identify those who need professional care among persons with disabilities and older persons who were sheltered in tents in the earthquake area and whose treatment was completed in hospitals or will be discharged. Yanık added: “In this context, we placed 664 persons with disabilities in need of professional care in our institutions.”

Earthquake support WhatsApp line launched for persons with disabilities and older persons

Noting that those who were evacuated from the provinces in the earthquake area and settled in the dormitories and hotels affiliated to KYK were visited, social examinations were made, and persons with disabilities who needed professional care were placed in residential institutions, Yanık continued as follows:

“Another service we have implemented during the disaster period is the earthquake support WhatsApp line for persons with disabilities and older persons. Through this line, which we have established to deliver the services of our Ministry, we resolve requests from persons with disabilities and older persons or civil society organizations in cooperation with relevant institutions and organizations. In order to support persons with hearing impairment and to meet their needs since the first day of the earthquake, under the coordination of our Ministry, a team of 120 people consisting of sign language interpreters working within our ministry, different civil society organizations and individual voluntary sign language interpreters has been working in the field.

Yanık stressed that as Türkiye, they acted leaving no one behind in their development journey and said: "We see each individual as the essential element of our social development, regardless of woman, man, child, young, old or with disabilities, and we continue our efforts on this path. The fact that life itself is a continuous process of change tells us that we must continue our efforts for a more just and egalitarian world.”

Pointing out that for a just and egalitarian world, they shape the policies in the field of disability with a rights-based approach not aid-oriented, and that the Turkish Disability Act, which was enacted in 2005 and sets forth the basic policy, is one of the most important indicators of this understanding, Yanık said:

“In addition, we have made significant progress in the development of community-based services that will support the independent lives of persons with disabilities in the fields such as health, education, employment, participation in political life, and access to justice. We have also taken important steps in the issue of accessibility, which has a key function in terms of accessing rights and services, so that all these developments can be reflected in the lives of persons with disabilities.

From this point of view, the point our country has reached in the last 20 years in the field of disability indicates that we aim for a higher point for tomorrow. What we mean from a further point is that persons with disabilities lead a life in which they have a say and decision over their own lives, and where they can exist effectively in all areas of social life as free and independent individuals. In this direction, we strengthen our society with an inclusive approach by rearranging our schools, hospitals, workplaces, cities, and every imaginable area of life."

"The number of civil servants with disabilities working in the public sector will increase to 67 thousand 985"

Yanık reminding that the Monitoring and Evaluation Board on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was established in order to protect, develop and strengthen the rights of persons with disabilities, said: “With the transition to the Presidential Government System, it has been strengthened and restructured. Under the coordination of our Ministry, which is the focal institution in the field of disability, the Board will continue its activities without slowing down, responsible for the fulfilment of all activities in the National Action Plan on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

Underlining that she personally witnessed how eager and determined persons with disabilities she visited both in institutions and at home are to work and produce, Yanık continued as follows:

“We have increased the number of persons with disabilities working in the public sector by 12 times since 2002 to 65 thousand 662 as of October 2022. We have initiated EKPSS (Public Personnel Selection Examination for Persons with Disabilities) with the central examination system for the first time in the world for the employment of civil servants with disabilities in the public sector since 2012. As the Ministry, one of our important support in the EKPSS process is the contribution we provide to the EKPSS fee of candidates with disabilities. The exam fee of 11 million 832 thousand 875 liras for EKPSS in 2022 was transferred to ÖSYM from the budget of our Ministry. Today, we will be placing a total of 2,323 persons with disabilities, 36 of whom are primary school graduates, 360 secondary school graduates, 704 associate degree graduates, and 1223 undergraduate graduates. With this placement, the number of civil servants with disabilities working in the public sector will increase to 67 thousand 985.”

Indicating that the numerical increase alone is not enough and that the work for civil servants with disabilities is not limited to the stage of employment, Yanık gave information about the regulations made.

Yanık reminded that, in accordance with the legislation, it is also stipulated that persons with disabilities cannot be employed in jobs that increase their disability and bring additional disability, adding: "These and many more services that I cannot list here are examples of the mentality transformation of the AK Party governments in this area and the manifestation of the understanding that leaves no one behind."

Stressing that the Republic of Türkiye, together with the nation, will heal the wounds of this disaster as soon as possible, Yanık wished persons with disabilities success in their duties.

After her speech, Minister Yanık pressed the draw button with ÖSYM President Bayram Ali Ersoy and other protocol members in the presence of a notary public to determine the places where persons with disabilities who will start working in public institutions will be appointed.