A research on determining the disability perception level of university students: Fırat University example

Individuals with disabilities are among those who need special education, care, rehabilitation and counseling services because of their general characteristics and deficiencies. Due to their needs and the notion of "the other" imposed by society, the disabled individuals abstract themselves from the society. Ensuring the participation of disabled people in education, health, and social and cultural environment will undoubtedly be possible by improving the environmental conditions they live in and arranging them appropriately. It is therefore an undeniable fact that disabled people need a variety of tools to make it easier for them to meet their needs. For this reason, these needs, which are also referred to as various means or goods and services, are a necessity for disabled people in every aspect of life and allow disabled people to maintain their lives as if they are normal individuals.Reachability and accessibility in goods and service institutions in social life, and the ability to make daily life sustainable without relying on others is important for disabled people. In this context, through applications for disabled people, disabled individuals are seen as being not different from other individuals in the society and the levels of their exposure to disability perception are at a relatively low level. As a matter of fact, disabled individuals have not been found in many sectors in our present day and before, despite the fact that the regulations on the employment of disabled people are mentioned in the law on disabilities in addition to the inadequacy of mentioned applications. Therefore, the subject matter explains the perception of disability that continues to exist today. Despite the necessity of taking necessary measures in this context and the necessity of employing disabled individuals in every public institution, unfortunately we are seeing and feeling the present perception in society.Young people who are studying at universities, which we define as the younger generation, are most affected by developments and innovations in society. In this context, the determination of the level of disability perception of university students and the work to be done in order to overthrow the subject will help not only the target audience but also the perceptions of other individuals to whom they are communicating. Therefore, being able to influence the mentioned community's perception in the positive direction will also contribute to changing the perception of many people. In this context, the aim of this study is to measure the disability perceptions of university students and to make suggestions on changing the existing negative perceptions, while also addressing the concept of disability and perception of disability. Key words: Disabled, Perception of Disability, Disabled Practices