International Day of Persons with Disabilities marked on Dec. 3 had an extra special meaning for Dr. Sare Aydın this year – she officially became a specialist in her field as a psychiatrist.
Born with a congenital orthopedic disability, Aydın has overcome exceptional challenges on her path to becoming a doctor. She uses a wheelchair in a country notoriously lacking in accessibility. Despite the obstacles, she completed her medical degree in the northern province of Tokat, at Gaziosmanpaşa University's Faculty of Medicine.
She then went on to score 136th out of 15,000 doctors on the country's Medical Specialization Examination (TUS) to earn her specialist certification and officially completed her residency on Dec. 3, the day that symbolizes the need for awareness, proactive steps and understanding for those with disabilities.
Speaking to journalists about her achievement, she explained: "Like my colleagues, I am a physician living in Türkiye. I don't think there is anything that makes me special. I may be different physically. Apart from that, every person has a story. I am happy like everyone else because this is an end, a new beginning."
As we all tend to do nowadays, Aydın shared her excitement on Twitter. The doctor's tweet about her achievement, "I became a specialist doctor today," went viral, garnering thousands of likes and comments.
Although she appreciated the outpouring of support and congratulations, Aydın still felt uneasy about the positive but rather shallow feedback. "Like everyone else, I shared my joy. I'm glad I saw the nice comments, but I felt uncomfortable in a way. Why did I feel uncomfortable? We need to draw attention with our presence, not just with tweets. The importance placed on the tweet should also be reflected in real life. Everyone should practice the necessary sensitivity. I have already been working as a doctor for four years. I love my profession very much," she explained.
She does admit that the process of becoming a doctor was a "bit different" and "a little more difficult" for her than her colleagues; however, Aydın made it very clear that the focus of International Day of Persons with Disabilities should not be on individual achievements.
"This is not about me. We must also think about the challenges others face. Today is the day for people with disabilities, not a celebration, but an awareness day. I hope we will become more aware of some things. I hope that people will learn to overcome prejudices and understand that we don't need positive discrimination."