Mayor Eşki Witnesses Barriers Firsthand, Walks for Solutions
Bornova Mayor Ömer Eşki personally examined accessibility issues across the district through an awareness walk alongside individuals with disabilities. The event, organized in collaboration with the Bornova City Council, provided direct insight into the challenges faced by disabled citizens in daily life, with promises that concrete steps would be taken toward solutions. Emphasizing empathy and accessibility, Mayor Eşki stated, “We must be the ones to eliminate the barriers created by human hands.”
Bornova Municipality has launched an awareness initiative to observe firsthand the difficulties that residents with special needs encounter in daily life. Mayor Ömer Eşki, walking side by side with individuals with disabilities, experienced these challenges directly.
Awareness walk begins at Aşık Veysel
The awareness walk, organized in cooperation with the Bornova City Council, began at the Aşık Veysel School for the Visually Impaired. Joining Mayor Ömer Eşki were the deputy mayors of Bornova, municipal department heads, and Bornova City Council President Av. Doğan Baran Mengüş.
Walking alongside citizens with visual and orthopedic disabilities, Mayor Eşki and the teams experienced the accessibility issues encountered in everyday spaces such as sidewalks and roads.
Mayor Eşki: “We must eliminate the barriers created by human hands”
Throughout the walk, Mayor Eşki spoke with disabled individuals, sharing the following remarks:
“There are things in this world, like health conditions, that are beyond a person’s control. One may be born with a disability. But there are also obstacles created by human hands. It is our duty to remove these barriers ourselves. For this, we need to show more empathy. We are here in the field together with our department heads and citizens with special needs. We are observing and experiencing the challenges, directly incorporating their voices into the planning process. In all the projects we will implement in our district, we will take the necessary steps to resolve these issues. I hope that the process we have started with awareness will be completed with happiness.”
“We want to live, not to be obstructed”
Figen Bilgen, a teacher at the Aşık Veysel School for the Visually Impaired who was born blind, emphasized that their greatest challenge is physical accessibility, stating:
“We are born disabled. But we do not want to be obstructed. We want access to the same rights and way of life as every able-bodied individual. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was ratified by Turkey in 2009. This convention has two fundamental principles: accessibility and non-discrimination. We live in an area where there are four schools for the disabled, so this should be the most accessible place. If our dreams come true here, it could set an example for many other places. Thank you for your support and attention.”
“We listened to dreams, and together we took the first step”
Bornova City Council President Av. Doğan Baran Mengüş described the process as follows:
“A few months ago, the teachers of our disabled citizens reached out to us and shared their dreams for a more accessible life. We decided to follow those dreams. By taking this first step with our Mayor, we observed the challenges they face firsthand. As the City Council, we will always stand by disabled individuals.”
Solution-focused steps will be taken
At the end of the walk, Mayor Ömer Eşki stressed that improvements aimed at easing the lives of disabled citizens would be prioritized in upcoming road and intersection projects in the area. Municipal officials also noted that the observations gathered on-site would be incorporated into relevant projects.