The perceptions of caregivers with Turkish background living in Belgian society on the impact of environmental factors on community participation in children with special needs with Turkish background

This project is developed within the scope of the Sustainable Development Goals 3 and 10 namely Reduced Inequalities, and Good Health and Well-being through supporting the participation of children with special needs in social life and activities while enjoying their human rights. Factors affecting the participation of children with special needs can be environmental, individual or activity-specific. However, even if individual factors are improved through therapy and the activity is adapted, the lack of regulation of the environment continues to be a barrier to participation. The environment consists not only of physical features but also cultural, socio-economic, social and institutional characteristics. Therefore, environmental factors vary for each society. The physical environment has often been the subject of research. However, other aspects of the environment, especially in the cultural and social context, are still in need of elucidation. In this project, it is aimed to identify the environmental factors that play a role in the participation of children with special needs in Turkish community in Belgium and to investigate how to organize the identified environmental factors to support participation from the perspective of caregivers of Turkish origin.

This project is part of a PhD, which will compare data collected in Turkey and Belgium to better understand the influence of the environment.