Bircan Çalpan

Born in 1995 in İskenderun, Hatay, Türkiye, Bircan Çalpan completed her primary, secondary and high school education in İskenderun. As an educator with a visual impairment, she graduated from the Department of Turkish Language Teaching at the Faculty of Education, Dokuz Eylül University.

Since 2018, she has worked as a teacher in various educational institutions affiliated with the Turkish Ministry of National Education. She currently serves as a Turkish language teacher at Akçalı Naci Uyar Secondary School in Arsuz, Hatay.

Alongside her teaching career, Çalpan actively advocates for disability rights, accessibility, equal opportunities, non-discrimination and social inclusion. Her work focuses on protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, strengthening their representation in decision-making processes and promoting inclusive policies at local, national and international levels.

She currently serves as Vice President of the Federation for a Barrier-Free World, President of the Arsuz City Council Disability Assembly, President of the Association for Equal Participation in Life, and Vice President of the Hatay Metropolitan Municipality Disability Assembly.

Çalpan advocates for equal rights and opportunities for persons with disabilities in all areas of life, including education, employment, social participation and environmental sustainability. She emphasizes the importance of integrating disability perspectives into climate action and zero-waste policies to ensure that environmental initiatives are accessible, equitable and inclusive.

At the COP31 United Nations Climate Change Conference, she will represent the Federation for a Barrier-Free World as a speaker at the panel entitled “Who Is Being Left Behind in Zero Waste?”, taking place in the Green Zone.

During the panel, she will address the physical, digital and communication barriers faced by persons with disabilities in zero-waste practices, highlight inclusive waste management approaches, and present policy recommendations for strengthening environmental justice and ensuring that no one is left behind in the transition towards a sustainable future.