The Wheelchair Repair Workshop—operating under Diyarbakır Metropolitan Municipality and the only facility of its kind in the city—has provided free maintenance, repairs and spare-parts support to 600 disabled residents over the past year.

The Department of Services for Disabled and Older People aims, through the Wheelchair Repair Workshop, to strengthen disabled residents’ ability to move independently in daily life and to participate actively in social life. As part of the work carried out by the Disability Unit Directorate, maintenance, repairs and spare-parts replacements were carried out on the powered and manual wheelchairs of 600 disabled residents in response to requests received over the past year. The workshop provides all maintenance and repair services for powered and manual wheelchairs free of charge.

Residents who wish to make use of the workshop are collected from their homes in vehicles belonging to the Municipality and brought to the workshop located at Sümerpark Community Hub. Once the maintenance and repair work is completed, residents are taken back to their homes.

‘The only workshop—we also serve neighbouring provinces’

Emin Baran, Manager of the Disability Unit, noted that the Wheelchair Repair Workshop is an important service that supports the independent living of residents with physical disabilities. Stressing that a wheelchair is not merely a piece of equipment for disabled residents, Baran said:

“A wheelchair is an inseparable part of independence for residents with physical disabilities. When a wheelchair breaks down, it means not being able to go to work, not being able to get to school, not being able to access healthcare services, and not being able to leave the house. In Diyarbakır, the only workshop providing this service operates within our Metropolitan Municipality. To date, we have been able to respond to requests from across the city. In addition, we receive requests from neighbouring provinces such as Van, Batman and Şanlıurfa, and we try to respond to those requests within our means.”

‘High demand’

Noting that the workshop is in high demand, Baran said that an average of 20 wheelchairs are repaired each week. Providing information about the services delivered, he stated:

“In our workshop, alongside maintenance and repairs, we also replace joysticks, batteries and wheels. To enable residents with physical disabilities to maintain their daily lives independently, our workshop provides services every weekday between 08:00 and 17:00. We regard this equal and accessible service as a public responsibility. For this reason, we invite all residents with physical disabilities who wish to benefit from our workshop to Sümerpark Community Hub.”

‘The workshop meets our needs’

Ömer Askan, Chair of the Diyarbakır Association of People with Physical Disabilities, also expressed satisfaction with the Metropolitan Municipality’s work for disabled people. Askan said:

“When we need a powered wheelchair, a manual wheelchair, crutches and similar items, the Metropolitan Municipality’s Disability Workshop meets these needs. Especially in the winter months, very important and valuable services are provided in relation to transport for disabled residents. Disabled residents are collected from their homes and, once the procedures are completed, they are taken back home.”

‘The modifications and repairs are extremely important’

Emphasising the vital importance of the work undertaken at the workshop, Askan continued:

“For us disabled people, our manual wheelchairs, powered wheelchairs and crutches are our legs. The Metropolitan Municipality is carrying out truly significant work in this field. Distributions of powered and manual wheelchairs, as well as the modifications and repairs carried out, address a major need for us—because meeting such needs through our own means is often not possible. For this reason, the services provided by the Disability Workshop are extremely valuable to us.”