On December 3, International Day of Persons with Disabilities; "Teachers with Disabilities Appointments and 2030 Barrier-Free Vision Document Promotion Program" was held on 3 December 2021 at the Haliç Congress Centre under the auspices of our Presidency, in cooperation with our Ministry and the Ministry of National Education.

 The program, which started with a music concert by the 8th grade student, absolute pitch Samet ZİLELİ and his teacher, continued with the video screening called Access to Life with the theme of accessibility, prepared by the Ministry of Family and Social Services. Derya YANIK, Minister of Family and Social Services, started her opening speech by emphasizing that 3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities is an important day to contribute to awareness by sharing the work done and targeted standards for our citizens with disabilities.

Minister YANIK: The Key to Social Development is Adopting an Inclusive Approach that does not exclude anyone.

 Stating that life, which is a long and narrow road, as Aşık Veysel says, sometimes takes a completely different direction, Minister YANIK underlined that this direction is sometimes full of goodness and sometimes difficulties. Mentioning that in such cases, both individually and systemically, the states have responsibilities, Minister YANIK stated that at this point, the key to social development is to adopt an inclusive approach that does not exclude anyone. Stating that they act without condoning any discrimination in order to realize this understanding that does not leave anyone behind, Minister YANIK emphasized that fair sharing of all rights and responsibilities and equal opportunity are prioritized in the works carried out.

 He stated that in order to provide the conditions in which every segment of the society feels safe and equal with others and where they can realize their potential, the legal ground has been strengthened and one of the important steps taken in this context was the publication of the Turkish Disability Act in 2005. Stating that our country is in a position to be a role model to the whole world in terms of raising the life standard of persons with disabilities and ensuring their future, Derya YANIK, Minister of Family and Social Services, stated that studies are continuing in order to progress further in this field.

 Minister YANIK, considering that accessibility, which is a criterion that will increase our quality of life as a society, provides benefits for all segments underlined that accessibility was determined as one of the most important agenda items. Stating that in the services for the persons with disabilities, it is aimed from the very beginning that the persons with disabilities lead their lives independently, rather than institutional care with a family-based perspective, she announced that priority was given to home support and daytime services, which aim for persons with disabilities to continue their lives in their own social environment, and concluded her speech by wishing success to the teachers who will be appointed in the Program. 

President ERDOĞAN: The Barrier-Free Vision, Envisioned to be Realized with Three-Year Action Plans, Has Been Evolved in Collaboration with Public Institutions and Organizations, NGOs, Academics and Private Sector.

 After the screening of the 2030 Barrier-Free Vision Certificate Promotional Film, the program continued with the speeches of President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN. President ERDOĞAN, who started his speech by wishing the 3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities to be beneficial for all persons with disabilities in our country and in the world, conveyed the developments in the last two decades so that persons with disabilities can participate in social life equally and independently with everyone else. Stating that the 2030 Barrier-Free Vision has been prepared in order to take these developments one step further, President ERDOĞAN said that the Barrier-Free Vision, which is envisaged to be implemented with three-year action plans and announced that it has been developed in cooperation with public institutions and organizations, NGOs, academics and the private sector.

President ERDOĞAN stating that, in all areas, our country, took the steps by "fixing one foot on our own values and trying to surround the world with the other foot", as in the metaphor of the compass by Mevlana, said that this understanding was also adopted in the preparation of 2030 Unhindered Vision, and besides our own ancient knowledge; in the 8 policy areas of the Barrier-Free Vision, which is expected to strengthen rights-based policies for persons with disabilities, that international experience is also taken into account and informed that it was built on 8 goals, 31 targets and 107 action areas and that until 2030, it will be the road map of our country in the field of disability.

President ERDOĞAN: I Have Full Faith That We Will Work Together as a Big Family Consisting of 84 Million

 President Erdoğan stated that in 2030 Barrier-Free Vision, ‘a system is anticipated to improve accessibility in many areas from housing services to transportation and communication services, to support persons with disabilities with new ways and methods that will increase their participation in social life, to protect them legally against situations that prevent them from participating in political life, and against any form of discrimination they may experience, to recognize them equally before the law and to protect them from all kinds of treatment that would harm human dignity, such as exploitation, violence, torture and humiliation’. He also said that with 2030 Barrier-Free Vision a finance system, which will increase the access of persons with disabilities to health services and ensure the sustainability of care services, will be established in order to ensure the participation of persons with disabilities in every grade of education, employment in professional fields and qualified jobs with new generation employment methods, that more support would be given to entrepreneurial goals. He mentioned that disaster and emergency situations will be carried out in a way to include individuals with disabilities. Stating that the 2030 Barrier-Free Vision will guide the whole of our nation, starting from public institutions, President ERDOĞAN especially underlined the responsibility and duty of all segments of the society in the proper implementation of this document. Expressing his belief that we will work together as a big family of 84 million, President ERDOĞAN wished that 2030 Barrier-Free Vision would be beneficial for our country.

At the end of the program, the Minister of Family and Social Services Derya YANIK, the Minister of National Education Mahmut ÖZER, and the citizens who participated in the program presented their gifts to President Recep Tayyip ERDOĞAN.