İstanbul Ticaret Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi

Abstract

Access to health facilities for those with disabilities; equal access to health services is of great importance for a prosperous society. This research, which aims to evaluate the current status of hospitals in Istanbul in terms of physical accessibility for visually impaired individuals, was designed as a case study, one of the qualitative research designs that include an in-depth examination of current events. Research is important in terms of creating awareness in society and minimizing the difficulties faced by the visually impaired. On the other hand, it will also contribute to policy makers in terms of legislative regulations and improvements. The research was conducted with 24 visually impaired individuals living within the borders of Istanbul, and the sample was determined by the snowball sampling method. Content analyses were performed by transferring to the MAXQDA 2020 program, and 6 main codes and subcodes were created as a result of the analysis. According to the analysis findings, patients have various difficulties in accessing treatment and finding their way around the hospital, they encounter obstacles in reaching basic areas and services, assistive technologies are inadequate and operations have difficulty in performing activities alone. In addition, the interest and update level of healthcare personnel varies, and the appointment process poses a problem for many issues. In the category of solution suggestions for the difficulties experienced by the participants, they mostly made suggestions regarding general accessibility arrangements, that the support of the personnel should be increased in order for patients to benefit better from health services, and that solutions such as improving voice call systems, increasing guide signs, and increasing the level of education of the employees were suggested. Solution suggestions were presented within the scope of the results of the research.