Family construction process for physically disabled in urban life: İzmir case

The main purpose of this study is to analyze the process of the formation of family. Aforesaid process is formed through the association of conceptual and theoretical framework to the data acquired by the narratives of people with disabilities. Adopting social constructivist approach and through the perspectives of Peter L. Berger and Thomas Luckmann, the ways in which being a person with disabilities changes, transforms and gives the meaning of daily life, behavioural and mental patterns in a society is sociologically evaluated. Within the field research, it is conducted unstructured in-depth interviews with the physically disabled people who are a member of associations of people with disabilities located in the central districts of İzmir. It is interviewed with 51 (including 26 females and 25 males) physically disabled people who are single, engaged, married, divorced and widowed. By examining the collected data in the direction of the purpose of the study, the themes are determined. The descriptive analysis is used during the process of analyzing and interpreting the data. The conditions of field research and its impressions over the researcher are reported. Consequently, the research aims to show the effects of the themes determined as outlook on marriage, the process of marriage, the ending a marriage and the family relations, the remarriage tendency and the sub-themes over the process of the formation of family of the disabled people in urban life. Key Words: Urban Life, Physically Disabled, Family Construction Process, Social Constructivist Approach