Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality has responded to the requests of 164 citizens who applied for wheelchairs and medical support over the past eight months. Diyar Oğuzsoy, Head of the Branch of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly, stated that they were striving to develop holistic policies in cooperation with persons with disabilities. Mevlüt Çınar, whose 10-year-old daughter received wheelchair support, said: “Both my child and my wife will be comfortable. I can now go to work with peace of mind.”

The Metropolitan Municipality continues its services for citizens with disabilities. The Unit of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly, under the Department of Social Services, aims to enhance the quality of life and social participation of persons with disabilities and elderly people by providing protective, preventive, supportive and transformative services, as well as medical equipment support.

Most of the applications submitted by persons with disabilities or their families to the Branch concern requests for wheelchair provision. Most recently, the Branch provided wheelchair support to two citizens with disabilities, aged 10 and 90, living in Bağlar district. The teams delivered the wheelchairs to their homes and explained how to use them. The work of the Branch goes beyond this. At the maintenance and repair workshop located within Sümerpark Shared Living Space, the maintenance and repair of both powered and manual wheelchairs — enabling persons with disabilities to move more easily and comfortably — are carried out free of charge, including spare part replacements.

185 Citizens with Disabilities Applied

Providing information about the work carried out, Diyar Oğuzsoy, Head of the Unit of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly, stated that during the past eight months, 185 citizens with disabilities from both central and rural neighbourhoods had applied for assistance. Oğuzsoy explained that the requests were assessed by a professional team composed of social service officers, psychologists, sociologists and field inspectors: “The expert teams visit the applicants’ addresses and prepare a social assessment report. These reports take into account the overall condition of the household and the disability status. In this context, we request documents such as proof of income, a copy of identification, and various papers regarding disability status.”

Requests of 164 Persons for Medical Support Met

Emphasising that they aim to increase the participation of persons with disabilities in social life by ensuring accessibility, Oğuzsoy gave details of the support provided: “We provide medical support. This includes manual wheelchairs, separate manual and powered wheelchairs for children, as well as white canes for the visually impaired and hospital beds for those who are bedridden. In this way, we have so far met the requests of 164 applicants.”

‘Most Have Limited Income’

Highlighting that the difficulties faced by persons with disabilities are not unique to Diyarbakır but are experienced in almost all cities, Oğuzsoy said: “We provide this support in order to make their lives easier and to reach out to them. In addition to assistance, we also provide workshop services and hospital transportation. The feedback we receive from citizens with disabilities is very positive. Most of them have very limited income and cannot access many things. Therefore, they are very pleased when we are able to meet the needs they request.”

‘We Are Striving to Make the City Easier for Everyone’

Emphasising that their work is guided by the principle of “justice and equality for all”, Oğuzsoy stated that they are striving to make the city easier for everyone. He pointed out that they adopt a holistic approach in this regard and that all their activities are carried out within this framework.

‘We Will Take Decisions About Their Lives Together’

Stating that they will continue to approach future work with holistic policies, Oğuzsoy said: “Rather than a giver–receiver approach, we want to work in partnership with persons with disabilities, moving them away from a passive position and developing holistic policies. Decisions about their lives will not be taken solely by someone else, by an institution or a politician; instead, we will seek to include them in the whole process and in decision-making, in order to follow a more enabling path together. We are already working in cooperation with disability associations, NGOs and many institutions. We will strengthen this further.”

‘I Can Now Go to Work with Peace of Mind’

Mevlüt Çınar (35), whose request for a wheelchair for his 10-year-old daughter with a disability was met by the municipality, spoke of the many difficulties they had faced until now. Explaining that thanks to the municipality’s support his daughter had, for the first time, received a wheelchair, Çınar said: “Until this age, she suffered greatly; carrying her, lifting her up and moving her from place to place was always difficult. When I went out or to work, my wife could not manage alone. For this reason, I could not even go to work. We are very grateful to the Metropolitan Municipality. Both my child and my wife will now be comfortable. I can finally go to work with peace of mind.”

‘We Applied After Seeing It on Social Media’

Çınar added that his wife had seen the municipality’s support for persons with disabilities on social media and they had applied: “They delivered it immediately, and we are grateful to the Municipality.”