Barikat Art Foundation
(Stichting Barikat Kunst)

This legacy was born from an unwavering belief: persons with disabilities must not be seen merely as people waiting for support, but as equal individuals who create, participate, lead, take an active role in social life, and help transform society.

This long rights-based struggle, which began in Türkiye, has now entered a new institutional chapter. Barikat Art Foundation (Stichting Barikat Kunst) has brought its activities in Türkiye to a close and now carries out its work entirely from the Netherlands, with a Europe-focused structure and vision. This new chapter aims to unite the experience accumulated over the years with an international perspective, and to develop more inclusive, cross-border initiatives in the fields of disability rights, accessible culture, art, sport, and social awareness.

At the heart of our work lies a clear principle: accessibility is not a matter of charity. It is a matter of human dignity, equality, justice, and full participation in social life. The visibility of persons with disabilities in cultural, social, and public life is not only an individual demand, but a fundamental responsibility of any democratic and just society.

One of the strongest symbols of this journey was the international awareness ride carried out in 2018. Starting in Türkiye, passing through 10 European countries, and ending in The Hague, the Netherlands, this 4,521-kilometre cycling journey was realised with the active participation of visually impaired persons and persons with physical disabilities. This initiative was not a touristic or sporting event in the ordinary sense. It was a peaceful, determined, and deeply human call to society: see us, hear us, understand us, and recognise our equal place in the world.

Every kilometre represented more than distance. It represented the will to overcome prejudice, silence, exclusion, and the invisible barriers that still prevent millions of persons with disabilities from living with equal opportunities and human dignity.

Barikat Art Foundation believes in the transformative power of art and sport. Art and sport are not merely fields of expression or movement. They are also spaces of visibility, solidarity, liberation, and social change.

With this understanding, our Foundation advocates for cultural life to be accessible to everyone. It has carried out pioneering work to strengthen access to cinema for visually and hearing-impaired individuals through audio description, subtitles, and dubbing. For us, participation in cultural life is not a privilege. It is a fundamental right.

Today, Barikat Art Foundation develops inclusive projects in Europe and internationally through its Netherlands-based structure. Our aim is to build bridges across borders between communities, institutions, artists, athletes, volunteers, and persons with disabilities. Through inclusive cultural projects, accessible film initiatives, awareness events, sport-based social impact projects, and international cooperation, we work for a world in which no one is left outside social and cultural life.

Our previous work has received written support and recognition from various international institutions and representatives from the United States, Canada, France, Spain, and the Netherlands, as well as from the Cervantes Institute and the Turkish National Commission for UNESCO. These supports strengthen our belief that disability rights and accessible culture are not merely local issues, but shared responsibilities of humanity.