Turkey's Changemakers: They hit the streets for an accessible city

During the tours, the group identifies physical obstacles for persons with disabilities, and works to remove them.

Turkey’s Changemakers’ new episode features “Open Istanbul!” (literally the name is “get outside, in Istanbul”  however pronounced with a slight change in emphasis, the name in Turkish means, “Istanbul is open”) an expedition group that has been organizing tours in Istanbul since 2009.

During the tours, the group identifies physical obstacles for persons with disabilities, and works to remove them. Their efforts have helped make museums, shopping malls, and other public spaces more accessible for everyone.   
The initiative received support from the Adım Adım (Step by Step) Initiative, Spinal Cord Paralytics Association of Turkey, the Fatih Municipality Topkapi Social Facility, and the Istanbul Photography and Cinema Amateurs Club.

“Open Istanbul!” led pioneering efforts that resulted in physical accessibility at shopping malls, municipal buildings, art galleries, museums, social facilities and bus stops all across the city.  To date more than 300 volunteers have toured the sites of Istanbul while helping to make it more accessible for persons with disabilities.