Design guideline for life center unit for inclusive schools in Turkey

Abstract

Supportive educational services in inclusive education (IE) are important for providing equal education rights to students with special needs and ensuring their participation in society. In Turkey, life center units, which were not included in IE legislation, were first established as a supportive educational service of inclusive schools at the primary schools and furthered throughout the secondary settings. Universal design (UD), which supports the accessibility and usability of the built environment for all, is recommended to guide the design of the IE schools. Thus, the aim of the study is to develop UD-compliant interior design guidelines for life center units by using a two-stage methodology. First, the dimensions of IE and the related physical environments in Turkey were examined. Second, periodic visits to life center units of Ankara Gökkuşağı Primary School and SERÇEV Accessible Vocational Anatolian High School were conducted by on-site observations and architectural plan reviews. The obtained data were analysed to acquire the interior space requirements, revealing the necessity of the life center unit for IE in Turkey and the need for design guidelines. The study is expected to fill an important gap in the field of interior architecture in terms of proposing a design guideline for supportive educational services in IE school environment. Moreover, the study is expected to provide a design guideline, specifically for designers, practitioners, academicians, and relevant stakeholders.