[With Corona, With Jang-aein] "24-Hour Support Needed for Daily Life Outside Facilities"

<Ha> Deinstitutionalization and Customized Welfare Two-Track

Abolition of Grading System and Comprehensive Activity Support Survey
Mildly Disabled People Cannot Receive Services
Survey Questions Tailored to Individual Characteristics Needed
Assemblywoman Jang Hye-young's 'Emergency Deinstitutionalization Act'
"Society, Not Individuals, Must Take Responsibility"

People with disabilities say that "‘deinstitutionalization’ is essential to realize the phased recovery of daily life for people with disabilities (With Corona)." ‘Deinstitutionalization’ is a concept that enables people with disabilities to live their daily lives outside of institutions. There are many obstacles for people with disabilities to leave institutions and enjoy a stable life in the community.

The government abolished the disability grading system and, starting from July 2019, implemented the ‘Comprehensive Activity Support Survey,’ which provides support divided into 15 levels based on a comprehensive evaluation of daily living skills and behavioral characteristics. With the implementation of this survey, the service target, which was limited to grades 1 to 3 under the disability grading system, was expanded to include all people with disabilities. However, until June of this year, there were no recipients of activity support services included in the top 1 to 6 levels, which mainly consist of people with mild disabilities. The budget for disability activity support services such as after-school activity services and daytime activity services was also cut by as much as 65 billion KRW for next year.

Choi Yong-gi, chairman of the Korea Association of Centers for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities, said, "Many intellectually disabled people do not receive points simply because they are able to move," adding, "The comprehensive survey questions need to be revised considering individual disability characteristics." Kim Pil-soon, planning director of the National Solidarity for the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, said, "Under the Comprehensive Activity Support Survey system, the maximum activity support time one can receive is 16 hours," and added, "To achieve deinstitutionalization, measures must be prepared for people with disabilities who need more activity support time, and a 24-hour support system should be established for the most severely disabled."

Jang Hye-young, Justice Party member. [Photo by Jang Hye-young]

There are also voices opposing deinstitutionalization without countermeasures. These are families of people with disabilities. In July, a person identifying as a family member of a person with a disability posted a message titled ‘Leaving the institution is a death sentence for us’ on the Blue House petition site. The National Parents’ Association of Residents in Disability Facilities also held a press conference opposing the enactment of the deinstitutionalization ordinance in Seoul.

Jang Hye-young, a lawmaker from the Justice Party, proposed the ‘Emergency Deinstitutionalization Act’ (an amendment to the Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act) in February, which includes ▲ the preparation of statistics on COVID-19 confirmed cases and deaths among people with disabilities ▲ support for activity assistants for confirmed cases ▲ and solutions to the problem of group infections in facilities. Lawmaker Jang explained, "The purpose and expected change through the amendment is to create a legal basis for everyone to live in the community and establish a support system," adding, "The deinstitutionalization policy is not about shifting the care of people with disabilities to individuals and families, but a policy where society takes responsibility."

Lawmaker Jang continued, "We need to establish an integrated service delivery system with understanding and expertise on disabilities so that personalized services can be supported without going through complicated procedures," and added, "I plan to propose a full revision of the Disability Welfare Act that includes strengthening customized welfare."

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