CoHE President Meets Students with Disabilities
“Support Program for the Disabled” to be Realized
December 03, 2019
CoHE President Prof. M. A. Yekta Saraç met with students with disabilities from different universities representing individuals with disabilities in Turkish higher education institutions for the occasion of United Nations' International Day of Persons with Disabilities at CoHE.
CoHE President Saraç headed the meeting. The works of the “Support Program for the Disabled" were shared with the public for the first time. In addition to CoHE Executive Board members, the members of CoHE's Working Group for Students with Disabilities also attended the meeting.
CoHE's works to facilitate the access of individuals with disabilities to higher education and the current situation of individuals with disabilities in higher education were discussed at the meeting. The activities carried out to create a barrier-free ecosystem in higher education institutions and the decisions taken for this purpose were shared with the public.
In his opening speech, CoHE President Saraç celebrated the International Day of Disabled Persons of students, who are setting an example by overcoming obstacles with their determination and courage, and their families.
He noted that eliminating barriers and producing permanent solutions are the most important duties of all of us. He reinitiated that CoHE's Working Group for Students with Disabilities had been carrying out works aimed at candidates with disabilities and higher education students with disabilities.
- Among the total number of students, the rate of students with disabilities is 0,6%
He said that out of the total number of students in the Turkish higher education system, which is about 8 million, the number of students with disabilities is 47.751.
- CoHE has realized many projects for students with disabilities
He talked about the decisions taken for students with disabilities since he took office in 2014.
“Hearing impaired students, who are exempt from taking foreign language classes in elementary and secondary school, could take a course with equivalent credits, which will be determined by the related commissions of their universities, instead of a foreign language course.
We also allowed students with disabilities, who got at least 100 points from TYT, to be accepted to take the special talent test for programs that accept students through a special talent test. These students will be evaluated according to the results they take from a different talent test that will be made for students with disabilities, without including their TYT points for evaluation. 10% of the quotas of programs accepting students through a special talent exam are allocated for students with disabilities.
We decided that the minimum score to be used for the special talent test would be valid for two years, including the year the exam was conducted. Besides, I would like to reiterate that OSYM had been implementing exam-related projects that prevent disadvantages for candidates with disabilities. I want to thank the President of OSYM for his efforts."
- New graduate programs intended for students with disabilities were opened
Saraç stated that Sign Language was included as one of the priority fields for the “100/2000 Doctoral Project" and emphasized that a Master's program with/out thesis for Turkish Sign Language Interpretation and doctoral programs for Turkish Sign Language were opened for the first time.
“As the Council of Higher Education, we have held a series of workshops to raise awareness of the access of individuals with disabilities to places, educational opportunities and socio-cultural activities in higher education institutions with the titles of “Barrier-free Access" and “Barrier-free Education" and “Barrier-free Horizons in Higher Education", and to disseminate good practices.
In 2018, CoHE started to organize Barrier-free University Awards to promote universities that had been carrying out successful projects to ensure the full, active and equal participation of disabled people in education. Universities were awarded in three categories," he said.
- CoHE to realize “Support Program for the Disabled"
“We realized the “Support Program for the Disabled." It is a two-year Associate degree program. We believe that the graduates of this program, which will train individuals known as 'shadow teachers' abroad in academia, will take an important place in the lives of the disabled. This program will be opened in three state universities and two foundation universities next year."
Click here to read the full transcript of the speech made by CoHE President Prof. M. A. Yekta Saraç. (In Turkish)
Following the opening speech, the students with disabilities had the opportunity to chat with CoHE President Saraç and the related CoHE officials. They shared their opinions and suggestions about the educational environment for the disabled.