A New Experience at ITU: Accessible Orienteering

“Barrier-Free Orienteering Event” was held on Friday, December 9, 2022 as part of ITU’s 250th Anniversary Events and its goal of a sustainable campus.

A “Barrier-Free Orienteering” event was held on Friday, December 9, 2022 between 14.00-16.00 on our Ayazağa Campus with the coordination of ITU Sustainability Office, Accessible and Barrier-Free University Commission, Coordination Unit for Students with Disabilities, Women’s Studies Center in SET, Cultural Services Branch Directorate and with the participation of the students of our University’s Orienteering and Volunteering Clubs.

Orienteering is a sport consisting of time-based activities that involve finding directions with the help of a map. It has four sub-branches: running, cycling, skiing and trail. The activities do not take into account differences in ability when planning standardized arrangements, and the arising disadvantages result in many people having limited participation in any of the four branches or not having the opportunity to experience any of them. In this event, which was organized in cooperation with the stakeholders of our University, it was aimed to show that this sport can be planned under conditions such that everyone can participate, by adopting the principles of accessibility and social inclusion, and respecting gender equality, where differences of ability do not pose an obstacle. In the parkour of the activity, the currently known targets were made accessible and recognizable by using audible signals.

At the end of the event attended by ITU Sustainability Office representative Res. Asst. Arife Eymen Karabulut, Accessible and Barrier-Free University Commission President Prof. Dr. Hatice Ayataç, Unit Coordinator for Students with Disabilities Çağrı Artan, Cultural Services Branch Directorate event coordinator Muhammed Fatih Sezer and student representatives of our clubs, our students completed the barrier-free parkour development process in cooperation with Çağrı Artan, Unit Coordinator for Students with Disabilities, and shared their suggestions for the development of this sports branch with more inclusive activities.  

Orienteering Club President Neslinur Kalkan and Board Member Esra Zeynep Ünal, in coordination with the Head of the Volunteering Club-Engeller Durdurmasın (Don’t Let Barriers Stop You) Project Mehmet Enes Beyazidoğlu, added audible signals to the targets, planned the markings to be made when the targets are reached, and positioned tracking lines consisting of strips and cones between the targets in order to make the proposed course barrier-free and accessible. In this way, they enabled the barrier-free participation of the Unit Coordinator for Students with Disabilities Çağrı Artan, who competed on the parkour and experienced this sport for the first time. Our club students stated that this was the first time they made such a planning and that they could use sound, smell and similar enhancers in future competitions. Çağrı Artan stated that after the arrangements made, he could easily follow the parkour and completed the activity by reaching the targets.

This planned event has meaning in terms of continuation of inclusivity and accessibility efforts without being limited to the recent 3 December International Day of Persons with Disabilities, as well as drawing attention to the fact that there is no restriction that prevents the realization of sports activities when accessibility and equal opportunity are ensured with the goal of “Barrier-Free University” and the contribution of all goal partners.

The participation of our clubs and students who want to contribute to the goal of a Barrier-Free University at ITU, aiming for similar activities and experience sharing, will advance and improve our efforts.