Yeongdeungpo-gu to Open Three Welfare Facilities for the Disabled Within the Year

April Opening of 'Nongain Shelter'... Integrated Welfare Services for Hearing and Speech Impaired... May Opening of 'Developmental Disability Lifelong Education Center'... Establishing Public Support System Tailored to Life Cycle... 'Disabled Family Support Center' to be Established by October

On April 6th, Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo District, is taking a commemorative photo with staff and facility officials at the newly opened 'Nongain Shelter'.

[Asia Economy Reporter Jong-il Park] Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) is investing approximately 1.8 billion KRW to newly establish a total of three welfare facilities for the disabled as key projects for 2020 toward creating a barrier-free city in Yeongdeungpo.

The first facility to open was the ‘Nongain Shelter’ in April, newly prepared in about 302㎡ of space for the hearing- and speech-impaired who have difficulty communicating.

There are 2,348 hearing and speech-impaired individuals in the area, accounting for 16% of all disabled residents in the district. The Nongain Shelter provides various programs and customized integrated welfare services including education, counseling, information, and culture tailored for these hearing- and speech-impaired individuals.

Next is the ‘Lifelong Education Center for People with Developmental Disabilities’ (14-3 Dangsan-dong 1-ga), scheduled to open in May. A standalone building of 745.3㎡ has been leased, equipped from basement level 1 to the 3rd floor with a sports room, program rooms, and a psychological stabilization room. It is a lifelong education institution supporting care services and social independence for people with developmental disabilities and their families.

This center will offer various programs considering the individual characteristics of disabled persons, including basic education for adults with developmental disabilities who have few learning opportunities after adulthood, as well as leisure, culture, and sports activities.

The district plans to establish a public support system covering the entire life cycle of people with developmental disabilities through this initiative.

Additionally, the district plans to establish a ‘Support Center for Families of Disabled Persons’ on the 4th floor of the same building by October. This center will provide welfare services such as education for families with disabled members, counseling for families in crisis, case management, care for disabled persons, and emergency childcare for children.

By housing the Lifelong Education Center for People with Developmental Disabilities and the Support Center for Families of Disabled Persons in one building, the district expects smoother communication between the facilities.

Furthermore, through supporting various needs of disabled persons and their families and linking services, it is anticipated that the facilities will be reborn as places with higher user satisfaction.

Before establishing the facilities, the district conducted extensive communication with users and guardians to collect and reflect their opinions, and comprehensively considered factors such as transportation, location, and area to improve convenience and safety for users.

Meanwhile, the district has allocated a total budget of 18.6 billion KRW in 2020 for welfare related to disabled persons to promote various policies and projects aimed at realizing a ‘zero inconvenience, barrier-free city.’

This represents a 23% increase compared to last year.

Also notable is the public-private cooperative project ‘Open AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Communication Village,’ the first of its kind among Seoul’s autonomous districts. The district partnered with KMI Korea Medical Institute to form a TF team from December last year and plans to fully implement the project this year. This includes the ‘Communication Rights Guarantee Project’ which develops and utilizes pictograms for disabled persons, and the ‘Barrier-Free Convenience Facility Expansion Project’ which installs ramps at entrances of small stores, making daily life more convenient for disabled individuals.

In addition to nationwide disability employment projects, the district independently promotes a ‘Developmental Disability Employment Project’ to create jobs and secure living spaces for people with developmental disabilities, whose employment rate is relatively low compared to other types. In December last year, the district established the standard workplaces for disabled persons ‘Chaoreum’ and ‘Dreamplus Sandwich Cafe’ to provide vocational training and employment opportunities for people with developmental disabilities.

Moreover, the district is the only autonomous district conducting a ‘Wheelchair Safety Education Project’ and annually publishes and distributes disability welfare policies that are easy to understand.

In particular, by operating the nation’s first Developmental Disability Support Center, the ‘Kkumdeohagi Support Center,’ the district is promoting unique projects and establishing itself as a leading model in various fields.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “This year, we will open three welfare facilities for the disabled focused on care, education, and leisure activities to ensure that disabled persons can enjoy their rights without discrimination throughout their lives. Along with providing jobs and welfare services, we will realize a barrier-free city Yeongdeungpo that supports convenience and communication in daily life.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.