Tasarım Eğitiminde Sosyal Sorumluluk Projeleri: Engellilik Farkındalığı Etkileri Üzerine Bir Çalışma

Social responsibility projects are effective tools for raising awareness among individuals and developing solution-oriented approaches to social issues. In communicating social problems to broader audiences, graphic design plays a critical role with its power of visual communication. In this context, it is essential for design students to gain social responsibility awareness, not only to develop their professional skills but also to embrace the responsibility of contributing to society. This study focuses on a course process aimed at raising awareness among graphic design students about disability and disability rights. The "GRA 209 Social Responsibility Design Projects" course was conducted with second- year students of Istanbul Yeni Yüzyıl University's Department of Graphic Design, led by Assistant Professor Dr. Duygu Sezgin. At the end of the course, a mixed exhibition was organized, and surveys were administered at the beginning and end of the process to measure students’ awareness levels and attitudes. The study examines the effectiveness of graphic design in creating awareness on sensitive issues such as disability, based on qualitative and quantitative data. These findings underline the impact of social responsibility projects and provide a model for similar future initiatives.