In the 2022 Barrier Free Universities Award Ceremony organized by the Higher Education Commission of Turkey (YÖK), Fatih Sultan Mehmet Vakif University won two Awards in the Green and Blue Flag Category.  Specifying the ranks, FSMVU accomplished Green Flag in the category of “Accessibility in Education” and Blue Flag in the Category of “Accessibility in Socio-Cultural Activities.” This Award aims to encourage the creation of a Barrier-Free ecosystem in Turkish Universities.

Out of 1074 universities, 84 universities were awarded the flag, and twelve universities were awarded program medals in the 2022 Barrier-Free University Awards.  According to YÖKSİS data, the number of students in the higher education system is approaching 8.5 million, and the number of students with different disability levels is around 50 thousand.

Since 2018 Accessible University Awards, Barrier-Free University Flags, and Barrier-Free Program Orders, are given to support the participation of students with special needs in educational, social, and cultural activities, to provide the necessary adaptations, infrastructure, and equipment to encourage the creation of a barrier-free ecosystem in Universities.

Barrier-Free University Flags are evaluated in three categories:

• Accessibility in Space (Orange Flag)
• Accessibility in Education (Green Flag)
• Accessibility in Socio-Cultural Activities (Blue Flag)

The related programs of universities that make their programs accessible to different groups of people with disabilities are awarded the "Accessible Program Medal.” Similarly, the “Accessible FSMVU Unit” continues its activities to:

• determine the needs of our students with special needs in their educational life
• provide the assistance they need in academic, administrative, physical, psychological, housing, and social areas
• identify the obstacles and fix them to continue their university life reasonably and effectively.

To become a volunteer at FSMVU Accessible Unit, you can contact the team at [email protected].