Project for Individuals with Down Syndrome from Konya: DOSD

The Individuals with Down Syndrome Life Support Center DOSD, implemented in collaboration with the Meram District Municipality of Konya, Necmettin Erbakan University (NEU), and Konya Provincial Directorate of National Education, was introduced to the public through a promotional program.

The DOSD, which has been established through the collaboration of the municipality, university, national education, and civil society organizations, is noted to be the first and only center of its kind in Turkey with its educational model. Mayor Mustafa Kavuş stated, "With DOSD Meram, our goal is to ensure the participation of individuals with Down syndrome in life and enable them to take on roles in society. Through DOSD Meram, we aim to elevate the physical, intellectual, sensory, and social development of these special individuals to the highest possible level within the limits allowed by their individual characteristics."

It is known that the center, which will be established in the Durunday neighborhood, will cover an area of 8,835 square meters. It will include educational units, social facilities, administrative units, and a rehabilitation application area, with a total closed area of 1,340 square meters and 5,000 square meters of green space.

Konya Provincial Directorate of National Education's Director, Murat Yiğit, who is one of the stakeholders in the project and a founding member of the association, emphasized the social sensitivity of the national education community regarding the education of disabled individuals. Yiğit stated, "The Individuals with Down Syndrome Life Support Center will provide professional educational services, contributing to their best preparation for life and enabling them to take on active roles."

One of the founding members of the association, Konya Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay, began his statement by expressing that they have put great effort and dedication into developing the city, both by the metropolitan and district municipalities. He emphasized that within this framework, the concept of 'Konya Model Municipality' has become a slogan accepted by the whole world. Mayor Uğur İbrahim Altay stated that this model paves the way for institutions to generate shared solutions. He pointed out that after the Alzheimer Center in Karatay and the SOBE (Social Life Support Center) in Selçuklu, the opening of the Individuals with Down Syndrome Life Support Center in Meram is a shining example of this model.

One of the founding members of the association, AK Party Konya Deputy Orhan Erdem, stated that Konya sets an example for Turkey in various aspects, including its efforts for disadvantaged groups and disabled individuals. He emphasized that the city's exemplary actions were most evident during times of earthquakes.