A call from SURKAM to “See, Hear, Feel, Be Aware”

The event titled “See, Hear, Feel, Be Aware” organized by Istanbul Medipol University Sustainable Development Application and Research Center (SURKAM) took place in the South Campus Conference Hall. At the event, Project Coordinator of the Association for Supporting Children with Visual Impairment Specialist Psychologist Ayşenur Bahçıvanoğlu Yazıcı, President of the Spinal Cord Paralytics Association of Turkey (TOFD) Prof. Semra Çetinkaya, Sporbul General Coordinator Bilal Sungur, and Assist. Prof. Elçin Tapan were present as speakers.

Istanbul Medipol University SURKAM Deputy Director Assoc. Prof. Öznur Gülen Ertosun delivered the opening speech of the event. In her speech, she drew attention to issues related to mental and physical disabilities. Assoc. Prof. Ertosun defined mental disability as “cognitive developmental delay and characteristic differences” and described physical disability as “limitations in motor skills”. Underlining the difficulties that disabled individuals face in participating in social life, Assoc. Prof. Ertosun stated that many disabled individuals have difficulty expressing the negative situations they experience to their social environment. Assoc. Prof. Ertosun emphasized that the event’s main purpose is to understand the problems experienced by disabled individuals, identify their needs, and develop solutions accordingly. She said: “Seeing, hearing, feeling, and being aware are not only physical actions, but also social responsibilities.”