No abstract

Barriers, which disabled people confront in every part of their life, exist in the environments of transportation. In addition to the accessibility problems faced with, the obligations to catch the vehicles on time, enhance their struggle in the environment against time. Air transportation is one of the most frequently preferred type of transportation due to be faster and safer than the other transportation types. Istanbul Atatürk Airport, which holds a Site Without Barriers Certificate, was studied in a three-phase study with the field study of interior spaces of airport building, interviews with airport officers of disability support services and interviews with diabled people used the airport. Firstly, interior spaces were examined by taking measurements and photographs where the routes of the diabled people begin with the entry point of the airport building until to the aircraft, additionally with the departure from aircraft until the departure gate of the airport building. In the second phase of the research, face-to-face interviews were conducted with the officers who serve in the airport, and information was compiled about the services provided for the disabled. In the last phase of the study, interviews were conducted about experiences and opinions of disabled people. According to results of the study, it was observed that there was a group of disabled that was not aware of the services offered to them and therefore they did not use disability services. It was observed that accessibility for the disabled requires an integrated approach in the space, in which the user experience and feedback were significant inputs in the provision of accessibility in the airports.