Additional 'Lifelong Education Centers for People with Developmental Disabilities' Established in Yongsan-gu and Jung-gu, Seoul... Now Installed in All 25 Autonomous Districts

Dongdaemun and Seocho Centers Opened This Year, Jung-gu and Yongsan-gu Centers Scheduled to Open in 2022

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] People with developmental disabilities face difficulties in entering college or finding employment after graduating from special schools, unlike non-disabled individuals, and spend most of their time at home. In particular, both the individuals and their parents feel at a loss about how to spend their daytime hours. Therefore, the opening of lifelong education centers for people with developmental disabilities, which provide education and care functions, is a project that parents of people with developmental disabilities have long desired.

To address these difficulties, Seoul City has designated and opened 3 to 6 lifelong education centers annually since 2016, starting with Nowon and Eunhaeng districts. On the 3rd of this month, centers were also designated to open in Jung-gu and Yongsan-gu, achieving the goal of establishing centers in all 25 autonomous districts. These two centers are scheduled to open next year.

The lifelong education centers for people with developmental disabilities provide social adaptation training and vocational skill enhancement programs for adults aged 18 and over with developmental disabilities who wish to continue their education.

Although Jung-gu has the smallest resident population in Seoul, it has 372 individuals with intellectual and autism disabilities, creating a need for community care functions for them. To ensure stable operation of facilities for people with disabilities, a center will be opened within the Jung-gu Comprehensive Welfare Center by next spring. The Jung-gu center is expected to become a care institution for people with developmental disabilities in the urban area.

Yongsan-gu has 657 people with developmental disabilities and is preparing a space within the district. After design and remodeling work starting in May, the center aims to open by next spring. It is hoped that this will overcome the difficulties faced by families in caring for adult people with developmental disabilities in the area and serve as a foundation for improving education and welfare for people with developmental disabilities.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of Welfare Policy, said, “It is encouraging that the goal of expanding to all 25 autonomous districts, a long-standing wish of parents of people with developmental disabilities, has been achieved ahead of schedule. Seoul City will continue to support children with developmental disabilities to live independently and proudly in better environments and will make every effort to ensure the qualitative growth of the centers.”

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