The "2nd Accessible Futures Student Panel" was organized at Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University (AYBU) as part of the "December 3rd International Day of Persons with Disabilities" activities.
The panel was held under the leadership of Assoc. Prof. Bahar Anaforoğlu, faculty member of the AYBU Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation, and in collaboration with the Accessible AYBU Unit, the Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Club, Photography Club, Anti-Addiction Club, Healthy Living Clubs, and students. The event was attended by AYBU Rector Ali Cengiz Köseoğlu, Assoc. Prof. Bahar Anaforoğlu, Secretary General and Accessible AYBU Unit Coordinator Asst. Prof. Mümin Şen, as well as Paris 2024 Para Taekwondo Champion Mahmut Bozteke, Paris 2024 Para Swimming Champion Umut Ünlü, Rio 2016 & Tokyo 2020 Champion Abdullah Öztürk, and athletes from the TSK Disabled Sports Club Youth Disabled Basketball Team. The national athletes shared their life stories and the experiences they gained during the championships with the students.
Rector Köseoğlu stated that they are a university aiming to raise all students with the awareness of living together with barriers, saying: “Disability is something that can happen to anyone. Not being within the definition of disability today does not mean it won't happen tomorrow. In this sense, the real issue is being able to live with this consciousness—the awareness that these brothers and sisters of ours are a part of our lives. I am making every effort for our university to be a truly disability-friendly institution, and I will continue to do so. We will achieve this together.”
MAHMUT BOZTEKE: I GAINED SELF-CONFIDENCE AFTER BECOMING AN ATHLETE
National Paralympic Taekwondo athlete Mahmut Bozteke said that his disability occurred after an accident he had as a child. Stating that he struggled significantly during this process, Bozteke said: “We struggled; we did not give up. We stayed in the hospital for 3 months. I was bedridden for a year. I got back on my feet without giving up and relearned how to walk. During the treatment processes, I realized that I used my feet well. I was putting on my socks and meeting my other needs with my feet. My physiotherapist said, ‘You use your feet well, you can do taekwondo.’ I gave it a try. After becoming an athlete, I started to develop my social circle. I gained self-confidence. I reached a higher status. In other words, I completed myself.”
UMUT ÜNLÜ: I NEEDED TO GET THE MEDAL, AND I DID
Paris 2024 Para Swimming Champion national swimmer Umut Ünlü said he learned to swim in one month and decided to continue afterward. “Actually, there is no specific thing that motivates me. I just knew I had to work very hard. For this reason, I was working much harder than everyone else. When I look back, after going to Paris, there was nothing else left to do. I just needed to win a medal, and I did. I was at the highest level, and I achieved it there. My physiotherapist approached me not just as a therapist but like a mother because my psychology was at rock bottom. Through the struggle we fought together, I won 2 medals,” he expressed.
ABDULLAH ÖZTÜRK: WE CROSSED THE STEPS PERFECTLY
Tokyo 2020 Paralympic table tennis Champion Abdullah Öztürk shared his thoughts as follows:
“Before becoming an athlete, I used to ask myself questions like what would happen after school, how the life struggle would continue, whether I could earn my own money, how much I would be involved in life, and whether I could go somewhere away from my family. Of course, these questions continued until I met sports. After starting sports, I suddenly found myself going to trials for competitions on weekends. This time they took me abroad. Can you imagine? A year later, they gave me the right to represent the national jersey abroad. This gave many athlete friends like us incredible self-confidence. Our path opened so beautifully in terms of economy, social life, and career. As a result of the medals we won, we crossed the steps one by one perfectly. Sports brought us to a very beautiful position.”
