BOYACI Sumeyye

Classification
S5, SB6, SM5 (IPC, 03 Mar 2021)

Type of Impairment
Limb deficiency (hurriyet.com.tr, 19 Jan 2010)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 15 Aug 2018, 12 Sep 2019)

Impairment Details
She was born without arms [bilateral congenital upper extremity agenesis] and with a hip dislocation. (Athlete, 15 Aug 2018, 12 Sep 2019)

General
FEET DEXTERITY
Born without arms, she has developed the dexterity in her feet to the point where she is able to create art, cook and design fashion. She began painting with her feet at age four and then took up paper marbling in primary school. Her watercolour and paper marbling artwork has been featured in a number of exhibitions around the world. "I drew my first rose when I was four years old. My mother had to believe [it was] me because there wasn't anyone else at home. My mother joked, 'If there was someone else at home, they wouldn't believe that you did it'. Then I improved my painting ability. I exhibited the marbling that I made years ago in Moscow [in 2019]. People can actually do anything that they want. There is nothing they cannot do if they have an impairment. The important thing is to be happy. Having an impairment does not stop me from doing anything. In my free time I design clothes. I do not just do the drawing but I sew the dresses too. I started sewing the clothes I designed with a sewing machine, but I can also sew using my feet without using a machine." (Instagram profile, 08 Oct 2019; alansavunmasi.org, 08 Oct 2019; memurlar.net, 20 Sep 2019; istekadinlar.com, 19 Aug 2018; onedio.com, 30 Apr 2018)

BARBIE DOLL
In 2020 toy company Mattel produced a Barbie doll depicting the likeness of Boyaci. The doll has no arms and features wings painted across her torso, and was produced as part of the company's new line of dolls honouring female athletes, which were released on International Women's Day on 08 March 2020. "This was something I couldn't imagine until I was told. I couldn't believe it when I first heard it, I wanted to scream. I will never forget my feelings at the moment. A Barbie without arms has never been produced until now, I was the first. A Barbie was released of me without arms, but with wings. I have invisible wings. One is my joy and determination for life, the other is my family's support for me. So two wings." (anadolugazetesi.com, 04 Mar 2020; ntv.com.tr, 09 Mar 2020)

She became the first female Turkish Para swimmer to win at least a silver medal at the world championships, when she claimed silver in the S5 50m backstroke at the 2019 edition in London, England. (SportsDeskOnline, 27 Oct 2020; onedio.com, 15 Sep 2019)