A qualitative study on the examination of the relational experiences of visually impaired individuals in Istanbul through Elizabeth Grosz's concept of volatile bodies

Visually impaired individuals make up a significant portion (approximately 0.3%) of the general population both globally and in Turkey. Studies on visually impaired individuals in Turkey began with the Republican era and scientific approaches towards disabled individuals in education processes. In recent years, younger generations have taken over this struggle, which can be summarized by civil society organizations' demands for equal, accessible, and barrier-free life, and it has continued to evolve with the support of digital and technological opportunities. This study was conducted using a qualitative method and focuses on visually impaired individuals' experiences and perspectives regarding blindness, the struggle of visually impaired movements, accessibility, Braille writing system, white cane usage, information technology, and their outlook on the future. From this perspective, this thesis aims to increase academic visibility for visually impaired individuals and issues related to blindness while contributing to interdisciplinary disability studies literature as well as social movement studies and body sociology literature. In-depth interviews were conducted with twelve visually impaired participants who currently or previously resided in Istanbul for this study. As a result, conclusions were drawn regarding how social struggle fields concerning visually impaired individuals' experiences have been affected by changes in accessibility conditions along with new emerging digital and technological opportunities in Turkey.