Namwon-si Leads the Way in Creating a Disability-Friendly City

Published 09 Dec.2021 14:58(KST)

[Namwon=Asia Economy Honam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Jeong Young-kwon] Namwon City, Jeonbuk, is taking the lead in creating a disability-friendly city where people with disabilities and others walk together.

According to the city on the 9th, the city is implementing various welfare policies for people with disabilities to improve their welfare and promote their participation in social activities so that people with disabilities and their families can enjoy a happy life together.

The city has 7,711 residents with disabilities (as of November 2021), accounting for 9.6% of Namwon's population, meaning that 10 out of every 100 citizens have a disability.

By type of disability, people with physical disabilities make up 45% of registered disabled persons in the city, the highest proportion, followed by hearing disabilities at 17%, and developmental (intellectual and autism) disabilities at 9%. Recently, as single-person households rapidly increase and the elderly population ratio rises, the demand for stability and care for people with disabilities is also increasing.

To this end, the city has allocated a budget of 19.564 billion KRW to stabilize the lives of people with disabilities and establish a foundation for their independence, which accounts for 9.3% of the social welfare budget of 205 billion KRW.

Specifically, 9.7 billion KRW has been allocated to support disability pensions, disability allowances, medical expenses, and repair costs for assistive devices to promote convenience and welfare for people with disabilities.

18.5 billion KRW has been allocated for jobs for people with disabilities, 1.92 billion KRW for support of disabled organizations’ project and operating expenses, and 6.1 billion KRW for operating expenses of facilities for people with disabilities.

The city is promoting various welfare projects, including job programs for people with disabilities, to support the livelihood stability of those facing difficulties due to disabilities and to encourage their participation in economic activities.

Accordingly, disability pensions are paid to 1,210 people, disability allowances to 1,541 people, and support is being intensified for medical expenses, provision of assistive devices, and registration diagnosis and examination fees for people with disabilities.

To provide social participation opportunities for people with disabilities who are vulnerable to employment, the city is also implementing job projects targeting unemployed people with disabilities aged 18 and over who are registered under the Disability Welfare Act.

In addition, since July, the city has been supporting labor costs to expand shift personnel at residential facilities for people with disabilities.

To provide quality services to residents of two residential facilities for people with disabilities in the area and to comply with the revised Labor Standards Act requiring a 52-hour workweek for workers, an additional budget of 149 million KRW is being provided.

This not only improves the working environment for workers at residential facilities for people with disabilities but also expands night shift personnel, which is especially vulnerable for people with severe disabilities, enabling quick responses to changes in health conditions and securing the ability to cope with disasters and emergencies.

The disability activity support project provides services such as activity support and home bathing for people with physical or mental disabilities who have difficulty living daily and social lives alone. Currently, 191 registered people with disabilities in the city use these services.

To address care gaps for people with disabilities vulnerable to infectious diseases, disability activity support services are provided 24 hours a day during COVID-19 confirmed cases and self-quarantine periods.

This year, the city is actively promoting projects to improve convenience and welfare in the daily lives of people with disabilities, including ▲construction of a comprehensive hall for disabled organizations ▲installation of CCTV in households of intellectually disabled women ▲and water bill reductions for households with severe disabilities.

In particular, the Namwon City Disability Harmony Center (tentative name), the first of its kind to be built in Jeonbuk Province, will be constructed with a total project cost of 1.997 billion KRW, including 500 million KRW in national funds. It will be located in the former Hyanggyo-dong Administrative Welfare Center, with three above-ground floors and a total floor area of 1,090㎡, becoming a new home for seven disabled organizations.

The Disability Harmony Center will include offices for each organization, training rooms, and a multipurpose auditorium. It is scheduled to be completed within this year and aims for occupancy by February next year, with finishing work underway.

Once completed, the Namwon City Disability Harmony Center is expected to facilitate diverse communication and harmony among people with disabilities, activate various education and programs, and increase information exchange and social participation among people with disabilities in the area.

A city official said, “We plan to continue establishing social systems for people with disabilities and discovering and promoting welfare services to make the city a happier place for people with disabilities.”