Exhibition in Turkey promotes new disability technology

From Hurriyet.com in Turkey:

ISTANBUL, Turkey - All products found at the exhibition are mainly aids for daily life, such as wheelchairs, grip adapters, armrests, touch sticks and trolleys, all of which are on sale at a discounted price. Meanwhile disabled workers make up 85 percent of the workforce in Bizimköy in Kocaeli province.

The Well-abled Life Exhibition, or EYAF, was launched in Istanbul yesterday to mark World Disability Day. The aim of the exhibition, which is being held at the Istanbul Expo Center from Dec 3-6, is to provide information to disabled people and their relatives about new technology that would support them in their daily lives.

Turkey has been working on opportunities and better access facilities for the disabled in recent years, however, with a disabled population of 12.3 million, more has to be done, said Saime Toptan, president of the Disabled Peoples Foundation, at the exhibition yesterday.

"Our aim is to provide the disabled with aids and training so that they can conduct a normal life without being dependent on others. We want to give them the opportunity to step outside and take part in everyday life," said Toptan.

A striking feature of the exhibition is a model of a new system that will be implemented on public buses by the Istanbul municipality to make them easier to use. In Istanbul, access has been an ongoing problem for disabled people because of the hectic nature of traffic.

Alper Datlar, deputy governor of Istanbul said crossing the road for a disabled person was highly dangerous and could be fatal. The new system on buses would allow people to find out which buses would be arriving by touching an electronic card onto a screen to be alerted when the bus was approaching and which point routes marked on the pavement would help them access the ramp on the bus.

The products found at the exhibition are mainly aids for daily life, such as wheelchairs, grip adapters, armrests, touch sticks and trolleys, all of which are on sale at a discounted price.

According to Toptan, the Well-abled life exhibition is not only for the disabled and their relatives but it is also a place for national and international corporations that supply products, technologies and services for disabled people to meet and share ideas and create more opportunities in the future.

Meanwhile disabled workers make up 85 percent of the workforce in Bizimköy, an agro-industrial estate built in the province of Kocaeli with the support of local businessmen. Bizimköy, where 105 disabled people work, has eight facilities manufacturing in different areas and expects to generate YTL 1.5 million this year.

Yılmaz Kanbak, president of the Kocaeli Chamber of Industry, said he traveled to Israel after the 1999 earthquake that struck Istanbul on business and observed disabled people’s industrial estates there.

"After the earthquake, there was an incredible increase in the number of disabled people. At the moment, there are nearly 140,000 disabled people in this area," said Kanbak.Kanbak said Beatrice Brunninger, an Austrian living in Kocaeli back then, donated 72 acres of her land to the Lions Club.

"Her own daughter was also disabled and died aged 19. The Lions gave us the land. We created a foundation and transferred the land to the foundation after a lot of effort," said Kanbak and added that they built a facility on 5,400 square meters of land, which is capable of providing employment to 230 disabled workers. "We produce confectionary, grow mushrooms, engage in greenhouse agriculture and beekeeping. We generate revenue of YTL 1.5 million," Kanbak said.

"We have the capacity to employ 230 disabled people. According to the law, this number of people with disabilites should be given employment at a business with 7,000 workers," Kanbak said. "However, we are not provided with extra tax advantages. We are inviting the finance minister and the prime minister to visit us now. This place should continue but we are having a hard time running it."

Adem Bağdatlı, general manager of Bizimköy said they were facing difficulties with sales.

"People take a step back when we say that we come from the Bizimköy Disabled Production Plant. As if the disabled are unable to do anything. Whereas, we do our work to a superior quality," Bağdatlı said.

Bağdatlı said their training was ministry approved. "First we train, then we assign. Becuase we are active in more than one line of business, we transfer any failed mushroom grower to textiles."

There are nearly 40 groups of disability, according to Bağdatlı.

"We employ people with two hands, two fingers, one foot and single-eye vision. We own a tile-making facility tailored for workers missing both feet but we had to suspend production because we could not find buyers," Bağdatlı said.