Marmara University, which always prioritizes unhindered access for equal and barrier-free education, organized a different event within the scope of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Marmara University, which supports the independent movement of the visually impaired and draws attention with its efforts for barrier-free access, organized a Goalball event on 10 December 2021 at the Şehit Ömer Halisdemir Sports Hall of Göztepe Campus.

With the event organized by the Marmara University Disabled Student Unit, it was desired to draw attention to the importance of independent movement by showing that sports can be done with sensory loss.

Goalball, a team sport for the visually impaired, was first invented in 1946 to help rehabilitate veterans who lost their sight in World War II. The game is played with a ball with a bell. The aim of the three-person teams is to roll a ball inside over the opponent’s goal line.  

Zuhal Pek, Disabled Student Unit Coordinator,   emphasized the importance of the issue by referring to their understanding of service in her speech and continued as follows:  “In this event, we organized for the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, we will get to know a disabled sport that most people do not know about here today. The purpose of this is not to understand what it means to be unable to see, but to witness what can be done without seeing. We will show that sports can be done in all conditions with the acquisition of independent movement.  In this way, we will once again show how important it is to ensure the independence of the individual.”

Prof. Dr. Hasan Korkut, the Vice-Rector, said, “I would like to express that I am very honored and happy to be among you, our university is one of the largest and most important universities in our country. We have some difficulties with the number of students and campuses, but I would like to express that, under the leadership of our Rector, we are making a very serious effort to become an accessible institution where there are no barriers.”

Cengizhan Çarlak, Caner Keleş and Goalball Coach Zafer Adem from Boğaziçi Disabled Sports Club, who took the podium after Vice-Rector Hasan Korkut, made speeches indicating the meaning and importance of the day.

The event ended with the representative match of Goalball.