Disabled individuals and the use of urban space

This study has been carried out in order to state the problems that physically disabled individuals have confronted with the use of urban spaces. In this study, it has been tried to determine the social issues that the disabled individuals have met in using the urban spaces. In this study, firstly, definitions regarding disablement have been given and the disablement has been categorized. Moreover, social effects and discrimination of being disabled have been mentioned. A survey has been conducted in order to evaluate the usability of urban spaces in Ankara. This survey has been conducted with a hundred disabled people living in Ankara. The questioned people have been over fifteen years old and visually and orthopedic impaired individuals. Both groups of disabled people have been equally questioned. The survey form has consisted of two parts. In the first part, there have been questions about the qualifications of the participants. In this part questions about sex, age, educational background, marital status, employment situation, social security, income situation and type of their disablement have taken place. In the second part of the survey, disabled individuals have been questioned about the subject. In this part, the aim has been to evaluate the usability by disabled people of urban places in Ankara. Depending on the disablement category of the individual, the benefit situation and the problems they have met in urban places in Ankara has been tried to be determined. With this survey, together with social and psychological effects to be a 112 disabled, it has been tried to learn their information level about the subject and their expectation concerning the facilitating of the urban space use.