Servet and Sude’s World

The couple Nuray and Mehmet Salih living in Bursa has three children. The first child, Servet, was born in 1993, Selay in 2000 and Sude in 2003. The first and third children of the family were born with some disadvantages. In the examinations made, it turns out that the problems are genetic.

The birth of the first child with disabilities did not affect the young mother and father much. Selay's being healthy reinforces their happiness. However, their third child Sude, seemed healthy in the tests performed while in the womb, so it was disappointing that she was born with a disability.

Servet and Sude have difficulty in seeing, besides they have mild mental and physical disabilities. The two siblings continue their education at the special education and rehabilitation center. Apart from the classes, they participate in activities with plenty of social skills. Servet begins to receive special education from the age of seven. The family gets Sude's education started when she was six months old with the experience gained from Servet's case.

The family does not treat their children differently because of their special situation; they continue their lives without isolating them from society.

According to TURKSTAT data, in 2017 the child population in Turkey is 22 million 883 thousand 288. The number of children with disabilities is more than 600 thousand. More than half of these children cannot receive education.

Despite this negative picture, the number of private education institutions is increasing; the view of the society towards the disabled and their families is changing day by day in a positive way.