The “Universal Design in Information Technologies (BILTEVT 2025) – International Accessible Informatics 2025 Congress” and the Accessible Informatics 2025 Award Ceremony, hosted by Manisa Celal Bayar University, were held at the Manisa Anemon Hotel.

This year, the congress was organized under the theme “Future Technologies and Accessibility” by the Turkey Accessible Informatics Platform, in collaboration with the Ministry of Family and Social Services and Manisa Celal Bayar University. The sessions of the congress were conducted both in-person and online.

Participants included Rector Prof. Dr. Rana Kibar, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Ahmet Çetin, Prof. Dr. Kadir Ay, and Prof. Dr. Oktay Üçer; Vice Rector of the University of New Girne Prof. Dr. Gökmen Dağlı; Deputy Mayor of Yunusemre Municipality Mehmet Mesut Doğan; Deputy Mayor of Şehzadeler Municipality Ahmet Anıl Ceylan; Head of the Accessibility Department at the General Directorate of Services for Persons with Disabilities and the Elderly, Ministry of Family and Social Services, Dr. Deniz Çağlayan Gümüş; Head of the Call Services and Communication Department at the Ministry of Health, Cihan Nişancı; Judge Ahmet Haner from the General Directorate of Judicial Support and Victim Services, Ministry of Justice; Head of the Programs and Teaching Materials Department at the General Directorate of Special Education and Guidance, Ministry of National Education, Meryem Kabataş; Manisa Provincial Director of Family and Social Services Mustafa Kılıç; Deputy Provincial Director of National Education Fevzi Yüksel; Deputy Director of Manisa İŞKUR Eşref Aslan; President of Şehzadeler City Council Yasemin Gümüş; deans, department heads, representatives of associations for persons with disabilities, and many guests.

In his opening speech, Dr. Mustafa Özhan Kalaç, Lecturer at Manisa Celal Bayar University and Coordinator of the Turkey Accessible Informatics Platform, stated:

“At this 13th International Accessible Informatics Congress, we are once again demonstrating a fine example of inter-institutional cooperation. Our congress, organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Family and Social Services and Manisa Celal Bayar University, has received strong support from many universities, public institutions, NGOs, and private sector representatives.”

Dr. Kalaç expressed his gratitude to all organizing and supporting institutions, sponsors, committee members, speakers, and participants, and continued:

“As you know, one of the most important focuses of our platform is digital accessibility. The fact that the issue of ‘Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications’ has been elevated to a national policy level by the Presidential Circular published in the Official Gazette this June has made us all very happy. Accessibility is no longer just a gesture of goodwill—it is now a state policy that ensures every individual’s equal rights in the digital world. This important step shows that our years of effort have yielded results and places new responsibilities upon us. Our next goal is to ensure that this policy framework is translated into concrete practices across all institutions and to make digital accessibility a permanent part of our social culture.”

During his speech, Manisa Provincial Director of Family and Social Services Mustafa Kılıç wished the congress fruitful outcomes and said:

“As an institution, we are working to make Manisa a barrier-free city. I believe we will take significant steps forward through cooperation in this process.”

In her opening speech, Rector Prof. Dr. Rana Kibar emphasized the importance of work in accessible informatics:

“This congress is one of the most valuable events revealing what has been done and what more can be done in the field of accessible informatics. The increasing number of studies on disability and rising awareness in society show that inclusivity has truly become part of daily life. Events like this contribute greatly to enabling individuals with disabilities to live their lives without distinction from others.”

Highlighting this year’s theme, “Future Technologies and Accessibility,” Rector Kibar added:

“As Manisa Celal Bayar University, we are quite fortunate in this regard, as the Coordinator of the Turkey Accessible Informatics Platform is one of our faculty members. Under his leadership, we have made significant progress in both physical and digital accessibility within our university. Moreover, we continue to support local institutions and individuals in this field. I would like to take this opportunity to thank him once again.”

Rector Kibar also mentioned the Ege Career Fair, hosted by the university in February, as a model of accessible event organization:

“The fair, held with the partnership of 15 universities and attended by over 50,000 people over two days, stood out among the 12 regional fairs across Türkiye as the only barrier-free event.”

Concluding her remarks, Rector Kibar expressed her hope that the congress would raise awareness and thanked all contributors for their efforts.

Within the scope of the program, successful ICT services for persons with disabilities in Türkiye were honored with the Accessible Informatics 2025 Awards. The awards were presented to the winning projects in the following categories:

Public Service Award:

• Ministry of Health (General Directorate of Health Information Systems, Call Services and Communication Department) – “ESİM (Accessible Health Communication Center)”

• Gebze Technical University – “Prevla (Personalized Rehabilitation based on Voice and Lifelog Analysis)”

Education Award:

• Ministry of National Education – General Directorate of Special Education and Guidance – “Family Education Book Set”

• Manisa Celal Bayar University – “Barrier-Free EGEKAF” Project

Private Sector Award:

• İDO – Istanbul Sea Buses – “Consultation Service” Application

Social Responsibility Project Award:

• Ege University – Accessible Ege Coordination Office – “Access The Game: Awareness and Technology Competition for Equal Access to Games for People with Disabilities”

Website Award:

• Marmara University – “Türkiye’s First Digital Easy Language Library”

• Turkish Technology and AJet Airlines – “AJet Website”

Media Award:

• Emre Taşgın – for social media projects on “Disability Rights”

Student Projects Award:

• Gebze Technical University – for “Wheelchair Simulation”

Over the course of three days, the congress addressed numerous topics such as accessibility, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, inclusive design, assistive technologies in education, employment of persons with disabilities, accessible media, smart cities, and universal design principles.

A total of 17 sessions were held, featuring 83 expert speakers—including 9 international presenters—who shared their knowledge and experiences. Additionally, 34 academic papers were presented on applied research, and all sessions were streamed live.