iGA Cares Newsletter No.1

iGA Cares Accessible Travel Community

 

As iGA Istanbul Airport, we embarked on this journey with the perspective that travel is a right for everyone. Beyond adhering to accessibility standards, we focused on real experiences by inviting guests with physical, mental, and sensory differences to the airport, enabling us to experience the airport journey together. By evaluating each touchpoint together, we identified areas for improvement and determined how these could be enhanced collaboratively. We also tested the services provided in partnership, ensuring progress was made through shared efforts.

 

Our accessibility initiatives, enriched by firsthand experiences and user feedback, have facilitated the development of various iGA Cares services, such as silent rooms for guests sensitive to noise and crowds, adult changing rooms, a 24/7 call centre with sign language support, Route Cares, and the Accessible Route. In our efforts to focus on the active participation of individuals with disabilities, we have hosted awareness events, collaborated with foundations and associations, and participated in national and international councils. These initiatives aim to enhance the usability and wider adoption of these practices. We have also made strides in promoting workforce inclusion, one of the most critical steps toward active participation in life. This includes employing colleagues with diverse needs, such as those with cerebral palsy, visual or hearing impairments, and physical access challenges.

 

As a result of these efforts, we have been recognised with numerous national and international awards. Notably, in 2021, we received the “Accessibility Certificate” from the Provincial Directorate of Family, Labour, and Social Services and became the first airport in the world to achieve accessibility accreditation from the Airports Council International (ACI).

 

To strengthen our efforts in collaboration with national and international foundations, associations, and institutions, we launched the iGA Cares Accessible Travel Community project. Through this community, we aim to promote the widespread adoption of accessibility solutions and enable the development of new accessibility initiatives through various collaborative opportunities. As part of the project, we published the first issue of our e-newsletter, bringing together accessibility solutions from around the world in a single publication. This initiative seeks to expand the reach of successful solutions to even more areas.

 

You too can join the iGA Cares Accessible Travel Community and support the development of accessible travel.

Have You Heard About Our “My Route” Application?

With the motto “Accessible travel is possible at iGA Istanbul Airport,” one of our greatest collaborators on this journey has been our visually impaired guests, who participated in all our testing processes and made significant contributions to developing our accessible indoor navigation system.

 

The feedback we received during our initial meetings and field tours was a request to navigate the airport independently, without requiring assistance services. Thanks to today’s technology, making this possible is not difficult. Inspired by successful examples of indoor accessible navigation in shopping malls and campuses, we began working on integrating this system into our airport. As a modern airport that closely follows digital and technological advancements, we made the map within the Istanbul Airport app accessible for visually impaired users through the My Route interface.

 

Guests who use their phones with voice assistant features encounter the My Route service when they open the map in our app. This service allows visually impaired guests to identify their current location, plot a route to their desired destination—such as a flight gate, shop, restaurant, or restroom—and independently navigate there using voice-guided directions. Additionally, they can discover the airport by learning about what is in the direction they point their phone, enhancing their exploration experience.

 

Developed in every stage with visually impaired individuals and continuously improved through their feedback, our app now includes a new feature. Guests requiring additional assistance can use the video support button to connect live with our representatives. By understanding the guest’s location through their camera, our representatives can provide extra support tailored to their needs.

 

We hope to widespread adoption of such wonderful innovations that make accessible and independent travel possible. We invite you to enjoy our Route With Me Film.

 

My Route

 

Dear readers,

 

My best greetings to you all.

 

My name is Sevda Bozbey Yilmaz. I have been working as a specialist in the Experience Design and Segment Management team under the Customer Experience Department at iGA Istanbul Airport for approximately two years.

 

I actually have a long history in aviation. I have worked in various departments at THY for 16 years. I can say that starting at iGA was a big step in my aviation career. The aviation industry is a bit like school. You never run out of things to learn. Once a person gets used to aviation, they just can't break away from it. Although I have an academic background from very different disciplines, aviation has become a whole different passion for me.

 

As a visually impaired employee, I have encountered many prejudices throughout my business life. However, I can also say that over time, these prejudices have begun to change. The most important step in changing these prejudices is making employees from different disability groups visible by working in different sectors.

 

Good training, meeting the required work needs with physically and digitally accessible solutions in workplaces, and raising awareness, play an important role in helping employees with disabilities adapt more easily to their workplaces. By respecting the diverse needs of employees with disabilities, employers and employees not only see them as part of the workforce, but also begin to benefit from the unique skills they possess. In addition, many companies organise special training programmes for employees with disabilities, ensuring their more effective participation in business processes and making efforts to implement adaptations that will enhance the performance of these individuals. As a visually impaired individual working at iGA Istanbul Airport, I have become an important part of this transformation.

 

For example, I noticed that images without descriptions were not accessible in internal communication and external social media content sharing. It may be useful for me to share this for those who don't know. I use my computer through a screen reader. However, I cannot access some of the content because it is prepared in an inaccessible format. I immediately shared this feedback with the relevant teams. I'm pleased to share that our internal announcements are now prepared not only visually but also in accessible formats, and descriptions have been added to the images in our social media posts.

 

When I first started working, I participated in a field trip to familiarise myself with the airport. It was very enjoyable, but the gift I received afterwards was even better. The team that organised the trip had prepared my field participation certificate in braille for me. Isn't it beautiful? With my feedback, the system we use to scan our cards when entering and exiting the office has also been converted into a format that can be understood by voice.

 

The areas of our online training platform that I could not access, have been made accessible based on our feedback. In national and international training sessions, the training was carried out in the most accessible format possible after my prior discussion with the trainer. The Airports Council International (ACI) trainer delivered the files to me in a format I could read, and during the presentation, they described and read out the slides. The best part is that, as part of one of our training sessions, an activity that involved drawing a picture on paper was transformed into an exercise where thoughts were shaped using three-dimensional clay.

 

There are, of course, many things that we're going to change and transform. We still have a long way to go. Believing in this transformation and change and being able to emphasize the solutions is very valuable. I find it very important to focus on solutions. I witnessed how working as a visually impaired person at iGA caused a change in perspective, and I wanted you to witness this beautiful process.

 

The inclusion of individuals with disabilities in the workforce is of great importance in terms of social equality, economic development, and active participation in life. With more awareness and more accessible services, I wish for more individuals with disabilities to contribute their minds, talent, and efforts to the workforce in the days ahead.

 

Sevda Bozbey Yilmaz