Disabilities In Turkey Research Articles

Navigating Intersectional Complexities: A Narrative Analysis of Syrian Refugee Women With Disabilities in Turkey

Refugee women with disabilities experience a multiplicity of insecurities before, during, and after their displacement, including exposure to violence during conflicts, barriers to their mobility, challenges along their routes to safety, difficulties in accessing rights and services in the host state, and hardships while navigating the means of survival in the host community. Despite the intertwined convergence of gender and ableism in exile affecting refugee women’s experiences, international and national laws and policies fail to address this intersectional reality. This study examines the lived experiences of Syrian refugee women with disabilities in Gaziantep, Turkey. Through an analysis of qualitative data with a narrative approach, the study not only depicts the interactions of gender, disability, and displacement that shape Syrian women’s lives but also contests the traditional discourse on their vulnerabilities. Through specific stories of Syrian women, this study highlights their strategies for survival and their future plans within the context of the intersectionality of the challenges they face.

Improving Reading Comprehension and Fluency in an Intellectually Disabled Student: A Case Study

Introduction: We can quickly access information in the modern world. Therefore, it is critical to concurrently improve reading fluency and comprehension skills. Techniques used to improve reading fluency can be categorized into two groups: skill-and performance-based. Interventional techniques used before, during, and after reading reportedly improve reading comprehension skills. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a series of interventions that combine skill and performance-based reading fluency techniques with reading comprehension techniques used during and after reading in improving reading fluency and comprehension skills of an intellectually disabled student. The uniqueness of this study is that it focuses on a child with intellectual disability, and it combines fluent reading and reading comprehension techniques. Method: This was a case study featuring a 13 year old male student enrolled in the sixth grade of a middle school who received interventions in a special education class for mild intellectual disability in Turkey. The intervention series was applied in ten sessions Findings: As a result of the interventions, there was a decrease in the number of misread words and increase in the number of correctly read words and reading comprehension level compared to the baseline values. The student maintained the acquisitions he gained during the intervention and in the following weeks. Discussion: In conclusion, the intervention package developed for an intellectual disability student was effective in improving and maintaining the student”s reading fluency and reading comprehension skills. Further studies with larger samples are needed to test the generalizability of the results.

THE ATTITUDE OF SECURITY GUARDS TOWARDS DISABLED INDIVIDUALS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN REGION OF TURKEY: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Negative social attitudes towards disabled people make it very difficult for disabled people to integrate into society and the acceptance and integration of disabled people into society continues to be limited to negative attitudes encountered outside the home. The aim of this study is to determine security guards' attitudes towards people with disabilities in Turkey. Data were collected from 469 security guards working in the private or public sector using a questionnaire including the Attitudes Towards Persons with Disabilities Inventory (APDI). The mean (standard deviation) of the APDI is 180.3 (19.1). Positive attitudes are held by more than 98.0% of the research group, both overall and by subcomponents. Security guards with higher levels of education and income had significantly more positive attitudes towards people with disabilities than the others. Acquaintance with a disabled individual is a significant predictor for the competency-independent living subscale (B:2.3, p=0.008). In conclusion, presenting people with disabilities in a realistic way, with their competencies and limitations, is key to developing positive attitudes. In addition, employing individuals with a high level of education in security jobs with appropriate wages can be useful in strategies to develop positive attitudes towards people with disabilities.

Perceptions of motherhood in mothers of children with disabilities in Turkey: a qualitative study

ABSTRACT Objectives This study aimed to explore how mothers of children with disabilities perceive mothering through metaphor. Subjects and Methods The study was conducted in March 2023 with 28 women who had experienced motherhood. The data were collected using the Descriptive Information Form and the Metaphorical Perceptions Form developed by the researchers who reviewed the literature. The women’s metaphorical perceptions were obtained by filling in the following sentence: ‘Being a mother of a child with disabilities is like/similar to … … … . because … … ’.. The interviews were conducted individually using the in-depth interview method and analysed using the descriptive analysis technique. Results The metaphors created by mothers of children with disabilities were grouped under two main themes: interpretation and challenges. Each major theme contains sub-themes. The main theme of interpretation includes cleansing from sins and divine reward, empowerment, being privileged, and acceptance/change in outlook on life, while the sub-theme of challenges includes constant struggle, stigmatisation, imprisonment/isolation, and uncertainty. Conclusion The women involved in the study produced the most metaphors for their perceptions of being a mother of a child with a disability for the sub-theme of imprisonment/isolation in the main theme of challenges. On the other hand, the least number of metaphors were produced in the sub-theme of acceptance/change in the outlook on life in the main theme of interpretation. According to the results, the perception of motherhood of women with children with disabilities will especially guide midwives who are responsible for the care of children with disabilities aged 0–6 years, and mental health workers.

Being or Not Being a Teacher with a Disability in Turkey: Problems and Proposed Solutions

Being or Not Being a Teacher with a Disability in Turkey: Problems and Proposed Solutions

Profession choice processes and career counseling experiences of people with physical disabilities in Turkey

AbstractPeople with disabilities may face various barriers to employment. I aimed to explore the career counseling experiences of a sample of people with physical disabilities. The participants were 95 individuals with a disability aged 19–48 years. One emerging theme, barriers and aids, was related to family, teachers, and school counselors. Participants’ choices seemed to be affected by the negative attitudes of their peers with a disability. A second theme, career counseling as well as its availability, content, and quality, comprises subthemes such as collaboration between stakeholders in processes related to people with disabilities, qualifications of career counselors, and content of the services provided.

INVESTIGATION OF METHODS OF COATING WITH STRESS IN INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES

Stress may affect everyone differently. Stress can be described as adapting to changes in life by disrupting the physical and psychic balance in situations where the individual cannot adapt. Stress experienced by people with disabilities may be psychic or individual barriers caused by the person's disability. Exposure to stress by a person’s disability affects many systems. Individuals with disabilities must have strong stress-coping methods to be less affected by these systems. This study aims to examine the methods of coping with stress in individuals with disabilities in Turkey. In this quantitative study, 477 disabled individuals (visual, orthopedic, hearing, or speech and chronic) were reached through purposive sampling. The stress Coping Scale developed by Moss in 1993 was used as a data collection tool to examine the coping methods of individuals with disabilities. Most of the participants were male, high school graduates, married, and had social security. Moreover, although the rate of those who have experienced any traumatic event causing stress is high, most of the participants try to cope with stress without getting help from their social circle. This study will contribute to both the field of social work in Turkey and literature in a multidisciplinary sense.

A Study of Systemic Approaches to Treating Patients with Physical Illness or Disability in Turkey

ABSTRACT Medical problems can affect a person’s physical health, mental health, relationships, quality of life, and the people with whom the patient is connected. Although we presume mental health professionals in Turkey work with individuals coping with health issues, there has been no prior published research. This study sought to determine how mental health professionals in Turkey approached their patients currently coping with a physical illness or disability and to what degree they collaborated with other care providers. Results revealed limited education on how to work with patients and their families currently coping with illness or disability, low interdisciplinary collaboration, and low family involvement in mental healthcare related to medical issues. The authors discuss how mental healthcare providers can use the findings of this study to advance systemic training and improve the use of systemic approaches for patients and their families coping with illness and disability in Turkey.

Challenges of Employment of People with Disabilities in Turkey

Engellilerin işgücüne katılımı hem yaşam kalitelerinin artması hem de toplum ile bütünleşmeleri açısından büyük bir öneme sahiptir. Fakat engelli bireylerin işgücüne katılım konusunda istekli olmalarına rağmen birçok sorunla karşılaştıkları görülmektedir. Engelli olmayan bireylere göre çok daha düşük istihdam oranına sahip olan engelli bireylerin yaşadıkları sorunlar geniş bir yelpaze içerisinde yer almaktadır. Bu konuya ilişkin olarak gerekli çözümlerin üretilmesinden önce engelli istihdamında yaşanan sorunların gözler önüne serilmesi önemli bir adımdır. Bu sebeple, bu derleme çalışmasında Türkiye'de engelli istihdamında yaşanan zorluklar literatürdeki çalışmalar ışığında tartışılmıştır. Literatürdeki çalışmalara bakıldığında engelli bireylerin yaşadıkları sorun durumları yalnızca işgücüne katılmaları konusunda değil aynı zamanda işi sürdürmeleri noktasında da etkili olmaktadır. Bu sebeple ülkemizde sürdürülen kota uygulaması ile korumalı iş yeri gibi modeller sorunlara çözüm üretmekten uzaktır. İş verenlerin olumsuz tutumları, damgalanma, kötü söz ve şakalar, dışlanma ve ulaşım sorunu gibi işe başlama ve devam etme konusunda engelli bireylerin karşılaştıkları güçlükler için yasal düzenlemeler tek başına yetersizdir. Yasal düzenlemelerin yanı sıra toplumdaki diğer bireylerin desteğine de ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

The hidden (overlooked) impact of living through a pandemic: How parents of children with disabilities fared during COVID-19?

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the quality of life of families of children with disabilities and the mediating roles of perceived social support, perceived parental self-efficacy, psychological health, psychological resilience, and perceived family burden on this relationship.BackgroundChildren with disabilities and their families are among the most affected populations from the restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of COVID-19 virus, as the special education and rehabilitation services they had been receiving were interrupted.MethodA correlational survey design was used to collect data from 824 parents of children with disabilities in Turkey. Path analysis was used to examine the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 on family quality of life.ResultsResults indicated that COVID-19 had a significant total effect on family quality of life and perceived social support, parental self-efficacy and psychological resilience had a mediating role on the relationship between impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and family quality of life. Perceived social support was found to the strongest mediator of the relationship between the impact of COVID-19 and the family quality of life, while perceived family burden did not have a statistically significant association with these variables.ConclusionFamily quality of life for children with disabilities decreased as the impact of COVID-19 pandemic increased. Perceived social support, parental self-efficacy and psychological resilience had mediating roles in the relationship between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and family quality of life.ImplicationsCOVID-19 has resulted in disruption of special education and rehabilitation services for children with disabilities and their families. Changes in daily routines have brought up additional responsibilities to parents of children with disabilities. These additional responsibilities may adversely affect and increase the burden and stress families of children with disabilities experience. The high levels of stress in families negatively affect the welfare and quality of life and result in decreased parental attention to support their children. Findings of this study show the mediating link of perceived social support, parental self-efficacy and psychological resilience in the relationship between the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and family quality of life. Policymakers and service providers should develop and implement specific care actions to support children with disabilities and their families during and after the pandemic.

Early Intervention and Early Diagnosis of Specific Learning Disabilities: Response to Intervention

Özel öğrenme güçlüğü olan öğrencilerin okuma, yazma ve matematik alanlarında güçlükler yaşadığı bilinmektedir. Bu güçlükleri sergileme riski olan öğrencilere erken müdahalenin sağlanması ileri dönemdeki okul performansları açısından kritik rol oynamaktadır. Özel öğrenme güçlüğünün değerlendirilmesi ve tanılanmasının Türkiye’deki durumu incelendiğinde özel öğrenme güçlüğü olan öğrencilerin tanılanmasında zekâ testlerinin etkin olarak kullanıldığı bilinmektedir. Fakat özel öğrenme güçlüğü olan öğrencilerin tanılama öncesindeki eğitsel gereksinimlerine yönelik bilimsel dayanaklı ve sistematik uygulamaların yetersiz olduğu görülmektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı bilimsel dayanaklı ve sistematik bir uygulama olan ve özel öğrenme güçlüğü riski olan öğrencilere yönelik erken müdahale ve erken tanı amaçlı kullanılan Müdahaleye Tepki Modeli (MTM)’nin açıklanarak ulusal alan yazına kazandırılmasıdır. MTM, öğrenme problemleri yaşayan öğrencileri belirleyen ve bu öğrenciler akranlarından geride kalmadan öğrencilere eğitsel destek sağlayan çok aşamalı bir erken tanı, müdahale ve destek sistemidir. MTM’nin amacı, yalnızca özel öğrenme güçlüğü olan öğrencilere değil tanılanmamış ve/veya özel öğrenme güçlüğü olma riski olan öğrencilere de erken müdahale sağlamaktır. MTM çok aşamalı bir model olsa da yaygın olarak üç aşamalı olarak uygulanan bir modeldir. Her bir aşamada müdahalenin niteliği değişmekte ve müdahale daha da yoğunlaşmaktadır. Bu çalışmada MTM’ye yönelik bilgiler sunularak geçmişten günümüze değin özel öğrenme güçlüğü olan bireylerin tanılanma ve erken müdahale süreçlerindeki değişim ele alınmaktadır. Ayrıca Türkiye’de MTM’ye ilişkin durum açıklanarak öneriler sunulmaktadır.

A model proposal development study for adults with intellectual disabilities in Turkey compared to USA

Intellectual disability (ID) persists from birth through adulthood and aging. Thus, the support provided to individuals with intellectual disabilities (IwID) in adulthood is essential to increase their self-determination and quality of life. This research aimed to determine how IwID may receive support for education, working life, accommodation, and leisure in adulthood in the Turkish context by increasing their and their families’ quality of life without socially discriminating against them. Qualitative data were collected in two stages, combining semi-structured interviews and the Delphi study technique. Results prompted the recommendation that a legal basis for transition-to-adulthood planning be established in Turkey for a functional adult service model. Next, a model with specific standards by which multidisciplinary experts analyse education, work, leisure, and housing alternatives for preadulthood and adulthood should be developed and coordinated by the Turkish Ministry of National Education and the Ministry of Family. Implications for the future are further discussed.

ASSESSING NEEDS OF PARENTS WITH CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES IN TURKEY

The universal experience of parents with a child with disabilities are added responsibilities and needs in supporting the child’s development. This study assessed the nature and extent of needs identified by parents of children with disabilities in Turkey using a Turkish translation of the Family Needs Survey (Bailey, Blasco & Simeonsson, 1992). The survey of 35 items and two open-ended questions was translated to reflect Turkish culture and linguistic equivalency. The psychometric properties of the Family Needs Survey were examined by administering it to 377 mothers and 297 fathers of children with disabilities, served in special education schools or rehabilitation centres. Factor analysis of data for mothers and fathers yielded a six-factor model explaining 56% and 61% of the variance, respectively. Alpha values for the factors of the survey ranged from .63 to .90 for the mother data set, and .80 to .91 for the father data set. Analyses of endorsed needs in the Family Needs Survey revealed an overall similar profile for both parents, with greater needs expressed for the factors of obtaining information, family and social support and community services than for factors pertaining to financial topics, explaining to others and child care. Mothers and fathers identified 35 additional needs reflecting themes of personal and societal concern related to parenting a child with disabilities in Turkey.

Examination of Primary School-Level Researches Focusing on Overcoming Reading Disability in Turkey: 2000-2020 Period

Bu araştırmanın amacı 2000-2020 yılları arasında Türkiye’de ilkokul düzeyindeki öğrencilerin okuma güçlüğünü gidermeye dönük bilimsel çalışmaları bütüncül bir bakış açısıyla değerlendirmektir. Araştırmada sistematik derleme yöntemi esas alınmıştır. Alanyazın taraması sonucunda birtakım dâhil etme ve dışarıda bırakma kriterlerine göre belirlenen 58 çalışma; çalışmaların genel özellikleri, katılımcıların özellikleri ve müdahale uygulamalarının özellikleri boyutlarıyla incelenmiştir. Verilerin analizinde betimsel analiz ve tümevarımsal içerik analizi yöntemleri kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonuçları, okuma güçlüğü çalışmalarının en çok 4. sınıf öğrencileriyle gerçekleştirildiğini ve bu çalışmaların genellikle nitel araştırmalar olduğunu göstermektedir. Çalışmalarda uygulanan müdahale programlarının genel olarak araştırmacılar tarafından katılımcıların özellikleri dikkate alınarak hazırlanan etkinliklerden oluştuğu, okuma güçlüğünü gidermede akıcı okuma stratejilerinin kullanıldığı ve müdahalelerin başarılı olduğu görülmektedir. Türkiye’de okuma güçlüklerini gidermeye dönük çalışmalarda teknoloji kullanımının yaygınlaşmasına, daha sistematik müdahale programlarına ve belirli standartlara sahip veri toplama araçlarına ihtiyaç olduğu anlaşılmaktadır.

Persistence in the Face of Ecological Challenges: A Phenomenological Study of Parents of Children With Disabilities in Turkey

Persistence in the Face of Ecological Challenges: A Phenomenological Study of Parents of Children With Disabilities in Turkey

Emerging risk factors and the disease pattern in Turkey: an analysis based on burden of diseases

Knowledge about the burden of disease and injury alone is not sufficient for health improvement and for defining and evolving policies and strategies. In many low and middle income countries, the impacts of chronic diseases are increasing gradually each year. Anticipating, understanding and reducing the impact of chronic diseases on human health is of great importance. The aim of this paper was to assess the main risk factors in chronic diseases in a developing country and to identify the effects of individual risk factors on burden of disease by using comparative risk assessment methodology. The first BoD study in 2003 revealed that the high systolic blood pressure was ranked first and the prevention of high systolic blood pressure would prevent 108.468 of 430.459 deaths in Turkey. Smoking was at the second rank and prevention of smoking would prevent 54.699 deaths while control of cholesterol level within the normal limits would prevent 49.029 deaths. It is also indicated that adequate levels of physical activity would prevent 45.120 deaths and that consumption of the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables would prevent 38.734 deaths. In the 2013 study, smoking ranked first, followed by nutritional risks at the second rank followed by high BMI, high blood pressure and high sugar level respectively. Smoking, high blood pressure, obesity and tobacco use are the most important problems among the preventable deaths and disability in Turkey. It can be concluded that Turkey now resembles the pattern seen in developed countries and some developing countries with low mortality.

The positive psychology constructs of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities in Turkey.

The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine positive psychology constructs (life orientation/optimism, life satisfaction, happiness, psychological well-being and personal well-being) that may predict the family quality of life (FQOL) of parents of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) in Turkey. Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 660 parents of children with IDD who responded to six assessments, including a measure of FQOL. An analysis using stepwise multiple regression was conducted to identify predictors of FQOL as rated by parents. The four constructs including personal well-being, psychological well-being, life orientation (optimism) and life satisfaction significantly explained 60% of the total variance of FQOL. The amount of explained variance, beta scores and correlations suggests that these positive psychology constructs are significant predictors of FQOL of parents of children with IDD in Turkey. The study findings suggested that positive psychological constructs at the individual level were positively related to FQOL at the group level. Personal well-being was the strongest predictor of FOQL of parents who have children with IDD in Turkey. The results also indicated that other constructs including psychological well-being, an optimistic life orientation and life satisfaction contribute significantly to the FQOL of parents of children with IDD.

Determination of Reinforcement Usage Strategies during Literacy Education of Teachers Working with Students with Multiple Disabilities in Turkey

In this study, it is aimed to determine the opinions of teachers working with students with multiple disabilities about the way in which they determine and use reinforcements during literacy education. The research was designed based on the qualitative research design, and the data was collected from 5 male and 15 female teachers using the semi-structured interview technique. The data obtained from the interviews were analyzed using the descriptive analysis technique. As a result of the research, it was found that teachers working with students with multiple disabilities mostly stated that the use of reinforcers is important. They also emphasized that their use also motivates students, helps them to gain positive behavior, and makes education effective and permanent. Most of the teachers expressed that they make observations while determining the reinforcement suitable for their students. It was found that the teachers used the observations to take the interests, needs, likes and wishes of their students into account. It was discovered that they mostly determined the effect of the reinforcer they used for students through observation and that teachers preferred food and beverage, activity, symbol, toy and game reinforcers in general. It was revealed that teachers working with students with multiple disabilities use observation method in determining the reinforcers for their students and evaluate their effects and that they do not use other methods. Moreover, they do not give much room to use and diminish reinforcement tariffs.

TÜRKİYE’DE ENGELLİLERE YÖNELİK SOSYAL HİZMET UYGULAMALARININ SOSYAL POLİTİKA VE YASAL DÜZENLEMELERİN TARİHSEL GELİŞİMİ EKSENİNDE DEĞERLENDİRİLMESİ

The basis of social service practices for people with disabilities in the world and Turkey are social policies and legal regulations shaped by the understanding of the social state. Like all members of the society, it is the responsibility of the states to make policies and legal regulations specific to the needs and problems of disabled citizens. Effective use of the basic constitutional rights, the right to work, the right to fair wages, the right to social security, the right to housing, the right to health and the right to education is the basic condition of social justice. The study, consisting of three parts, aims to evaluate the social work practice regulations for people with disabilities in Turkey with a critical perspective in the context of social policy and legal regulations. In the first part, the development of social policies regarding the disabled in Europe is briefly mentioned and the historical process of development in Turkey is discussed. In the second part, information is given about the historical development of legal regulations shaping social policies for people with disabilities in Turkey. In the third part, current social work practices shaped by the effect of legal regulations for the disabled are evaluated with a critical point of view.

Oral Health Related Knowledge, Practices and Opinions of Caregivers at the Biggest Care Home for People with Disability in Turkey

Oral Health Related Knowledge, Practices and Opinions of Caregivers at the Biggest Care Home for People with Disability in Turkey