ISTANBUL – Daily News with wires
Students with disabilities have been angered by an İzmir university conservatory’s recent rejection of music school applications from disabled candidates on the grounds that the institution cannot accommodate their needs.
“I passed all the math and Turkish exams by myself. The excuse given by the school administration [in rejecting my application] is completely meaningless,” said Ümran Sevinç, a 20-year-old musician with visual problems.
A guitarist, Sevinç decided to apply to the Turkish Music Conservatory at Ege University after successfully passing her university exams, but was not accepted due to a lack of available space at the school.
“We have limited classrooms or capacity for the education of students with disabilities,” Professor Gürbüz Aktaş, the conservatory’s general manager, said in detailing the apparent infrastructure problems at the university.
According to the Egedesonsöz website, the conservatory previously accepted students with disabilities, but following a notice sent by the Higher Education Board, or YÖK, the school decided to decline new applications from such students.
After YÖK suggested that all schools provide the best conditions for students with disabilities, the conservatory’s board allegedly chose to reject applications from the disabled, the website reported Saturday.
Sevinç, who said she had had no problem walking to school by herself during her secondary education, criticized the board decision as she played guitar in front of the school in order to draw attention to her plight.
“My dreams are all gone,” Sevinç said.
(Source: www.hurriyetdailynews.com )