European University of Lefke (EUL) Education and Research Center for Children with Special Needs (ÖÇEM) organized a conference titled “Barrier Free Doctor”. Hearing-impaired Dr. Alparslan Temen participated in the conference as a speaker.

It was fortunate for me to have rehabilitated myself at home.

Sharing his experiences until he became a doctor with the EUL students, Temen said that he has grown up in a crowded family thus there were always loud voices in his house. Temen further said that “People in my situation may have some speech disorders or have learning difficulties. It was really good for me to talk loudly at home because it prevented the loss of sound” and added that it was fortunate for him to have rehabilitated himself at home.

Temen ranked first in the Turkey’s University Exam for disabled people

Pointing out that he had learned that he ranked first in the Turkey’s University Exam for disabled people with a call from a Sabancı Foundation, Temen went on to say that the Foundation had supported his educational life with a full scholarship. “I won the Trakya University Medical Faculty” he said. Pointing out that he was a successful student during his student life, Temen said that “As I was preparing to move to 2nd grade, I had a question. How was I supposed to put the stethoscope and listen to the heart and lungs when I had hearing aids in both ears? I started asking my teachers. I got an answer from a teacher I never expected, ‘Why did you choose medicine? I have always struggled not to reduce my motivation”.

In this struggle, I have always progressed over and over again and never felt disabled.

Expressing that he had always waited for a solution but no one generated a solution, Temen said that “I was determined, after long research, I saw a firm in California, USA producing electronic stethoscopes for hearing impaired doctors. It was impossible to buy because the price was too high. I called the Sabancı Foundation, they accepted it and a week later I got my stethoscope”. Temen stressed that he is now a year-old doctor, that he has been advancing barriers in his struggle and that he never felt disabled.

At the end of the conference, Temen thanked the ÖÇEM for their kind invitations, and advised students to handle the obstacles they face and to always trust themselves.