Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) has launched the AI-powered visual assistance system for people with visual impairments, developed to enable individuals with visual impairments to move independently within campus buildings without needing assistance. The project was put into operation during White Cane Week for People with Visual Impairments.

An introductory ceremony for the project was held at the OMU Faculty of Health Sciences, where detailed information about the system was shared.

The program was attended by OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın; Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Alper Kesten and Prof. Dr. Ayşe Pınar Sumer; Secretary General Prof. Dr. Erhan Burak Pancar; Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences Prof. Dr. Esra Pancar Yüksel; Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy Prof. Dr. Yavuz Kürşad Daş; Rector’s Advisor Prof. Dr. Serkan Şen; Director of Samsun Vocational School Prof. Dr. Kaya Tuncer Çağlayan; Director of the Vocational School of Health Services Dr. Lecturer Faruk Tan; Head of the Information Technologies Department Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail İşeri; Academic Coordinator of the Office for Students with Disabilities Assoc. Prof. Dr. Meryem Vural Batık; academics; as well as individuals with disabilities and students.

Coordinated by OMU Head of the Information Technologies Department Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail İşeri, the project enables users to access the system by scanning QR codes placed at building entrances and interior locations using their mobile phones. After identifying their location, users verbally state their destination, and the artificial intelligence system guides them safely to their target location through voice instructions.

Testing of the AI-powered visual assistance system for people with visual impairments was successfully completed at the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Vocational School of Health Services, Çarşamba Commodity Exchange Vocational School, and Terme Vocational School. In the second phase, the system will be expanded to include faculties of education, engineering, theology, and sports sciences, as well as heavily used areas such as the Central Library, the Distance Education Center, and the OMU Life Center. In addition, the system is intended to provide general location support for all individuals visiting campus buildings.

Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın: “Eighteen units of our university have been awarded by the Council of Higher Education”

Speaking at the introductory program, OMU Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın stated that the determination and resilience of individuals with disabilities are a source of inspiration for everyone and said:

“Within the framework of our Barrier-Free University goal, we continue our efforts with determination to ensure that our students and staff with disabilities can actively benefit not only from education and training processes but also from scientific, cultural, and social activities. Eighteen different units of our university have been awarded the ‘Accessibility in Physical Spaces – Orange Flag’ by the Council of Higher Education. In addition, nine of our units have been nominated for this award. Last week, our Kurupelit Campus was honored for the first time with the ‘Blue Flag’, awarded for Accessibility in Socio-Cultural Activities. Our Faculty of Education has also been included in the application process for this award for 2026. Furthermore, our planning and preparations for the ‘Barrier-Free University Program Badge’ are ongoing. Our ultimate goal is to further enhance accessibility standards across all units of our university within the framework of the ‘100 Percent Barrier-Free University’ vision.”

“Our goal is to expand this application across all units of our university”

Stating that the introduced project represents a concrete and innovative reflection of OMU’s vision, Rector Aydın said:

“This system, tested through our students with visual impairments, is not limited solely to individuals with visual impairments but also offers an inclusive and accessible wayfinding solution for everyone using our campuses. Our goal is to expand this application across all units of our university and institutionalize digital accessibility. I would like to thank everyone who contributed to the realization of this important initiative.”

“We continue our efforts to make life easier for individuals with disabilities”

Rector Aydın added:

“As OMU, within the Barrier-Free University focus, we continue our efforts with determination to make life easier for individuals with disabilities and to minimize disadvantages. In this context, our Inclusive University Life training programs for administrative staff continue with content based on a rights-based approach. Psychological counseling services, career support trainings, and social integration activities offered within our Office for Students with Disabilities strengthen our students’ full participation in university life.”

“We aim to enable individuals with disabilities to take more active roles in social life”

Concluding her remarks, Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın stated:

“Through sports, film, and book activities; Disability Awareness Week programs; Heart-to-Heart Awareness initiatives; and UyumFest activities, we strive to make empathy, solidarity, and a culture of collective production a natural climate of our campuses. In line with our Barrier-Free Campus goal, we are also gradually implementing electric wheelchair charging stations and updated physical improvements. We approach all these steps not merely as duties, but with a spirit of heartfelt commitment. Our efforts to ensure that individuals with disabilities can take more active roles in social life with well-being and dignity will continue to grow, as they have until now. I hope that this initiative will inspire new and valuable steps to improve the living conditions of individuals with disabilities.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. İşeri: “Visitors to our university can also easily use the application”

Providing an assessment of the AI-powered visual assistance system implemented within the scope of digitalization and artificial intelligence, Head of the Information Technologies Department Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail İşeri shared details about the project’s development process and implementation stages.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. İşeri said:

“We implemented this project based on an idea that emerged approximately five to six months ago. With the full support of our Rector, we continue to implement various projects in the fields of digitalization and artificial intelligence. The development process of our project took approximately three to four months. We launched pilot implementations at Terme Vocational School, Çarşamba Commodity Exchange Vocational School, the Vocational School of Health Services, and the Faculty of Health Sciences. Based on the feedback we received during this process, we carried out the necessary improvements.”

Referring to the expansion of the project, İşeri stated:

“Following our Rector’s recommendations, a decision was made to make the application available across the entire university. We continue our discussions with other faculties as well. We are carefully carrying out the infrastructure preparations regarding how the system will be used. Thanks to the QR codes placed at building entrances, users can easily activate and start using the application by scanning the code with their phone cameras. Especially in complex building structures, we aimed to develop a solution that can be easily used not only by our students but also by visitors to our university and citizens coming from neighboring provinces.”

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Batık: “The application supports the active participation of individuals with disabilities in university life”

Academic Coordinator of the Office for Students with Disabilities Assoc. Prof. Dr. Meryem Vural Batık stated:

“This gathering, where we come together to introduce the AI assistant designed to support indoor wayfinding processes for individuals with visual impairments, is not merely the presentation of a technological product, but also a concrete demonstration of an inclusive university vision. The need for alternative solutions beyond tactile guidance paths for individuals with visual impairments enabled the realization of the AI assistant developed by our Information Technologies Department. As the Office for Students with Disabilities, we support the preparation of wayfinding scenarios in accordance with audio description principles and universal design standards.”

Emphasizing that accessibility should not be viewed as targeting only a specific group, Batık said:

“As the Office for Students with Disabilities, we approach accessibility not as a ‘regulation for a specific group’, but as a fundamental principle for creating a more functional, safer, and fairer learning and living environment for everyone, based on the universal design approach. The AI assistant is precisely a product of this understanding. This application is a very valuable step that increases individual independence, strengthens a sense of security, and supports active participation in university life.”

The program concluded with Rector Prof. Dr. Fatma Aydın presenting certificates of appreciation to Assoc. Prof. Dr. İsmail İşeri, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Meryem Vural Batık, and individuals with disabilities who contributed to the realization of the project.