THE EVALUATION OF KAHRAMANMARAŞ ENGELSİZ YAŞAM PARK WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THE UNIVERSAL STANDARDS GUIDE FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Everyone has the right to act independently in life. This is accepted as one of the most important conditions for accessing opportunities and services in social life. According to a report published by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2011, approximately 15% of the world's population (more than 1 billion people) consists of individuals with disabilities. The universal design approach includes the design of spaces and products that serve all members of society equally. With the acceptance of the concept of universal design, studies for the creation of relevant standards have started. One of these studies is the "Universal Standards for Persons with Disabilities". This study was carried out in order to evaluate the "Engelsiz Yaşam Park" in Kahramanmaraş within the scope of the universal standards guide for persons with disabilities. In this context, the standards under the headings of ramps and stairs, pedestrian ways and sidewalks, parking lots and pedestrian crossings, and open and green areas in the guide and the current situation in the area were evaluated. As a result, it was determined that the current situation in terms of quality and maintenance of ramps and slope conditions, floors, parking lots, urban furniture, and materials used in Engelsiz Yaşam Park does not meet the standards, and recommendations for making the necessary arrangements were made based on the criteria specified in the universal standards guide. 