Yangcheon-gu Shelter for the Visually Impaired 'Maeumssi (SEE) Center' Opens

District Mayor Igijae Takes Direct Field Administration to Address Issues, Rebirth of Customized Exclusive Spaces from Disability Perspective... Will Greatly Contribute to Improving Welfare for Visually Impaired in the Region through Various Welfare Programs

Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Lee Gi-jae) announced that it has completed the establishment of a dedicated rest area for the visually impaired, a long-standing wish of the visually impaired community, and will begin full operation in mid-September, with an opening ceremony scheduled for October 6.

The newly established rest area for the visually impaired, named the “Maeumssi (SEE) Center,” symbolizes a space for people who see with their hearts rather than their eyes, embodying the hope to help eliminate prejudice against people with disabilities.

The district had temporarily set up a dedicated rest area for the visually impaired in September 2021 to provide a customized welfare space for the visually impaired who find it difficult to use existing welfare facilities such as welfare centers due to the nature of their disabilities. However, since the facility was located in the basement of an apartment complex, accessibility was poor, and the facility had become outdated, causing ongoing inconvenience for visually impaired users and continuous demands for a new facility.

Mayor Lee Gi-jae of Yangcheon-gu identified these issues and, shortly after taking office in August last year, personally visited three disability facilities, including the visually impaired rest area and the office of the Federation of Disabled Persons’ Organizations. On-site, the mayor confirmed that visually impaired individuals were experiencing difficulties due to facilities that did not consider the characteristics of their disabilities, and subsequently developed a comprehensive relocation plan considering location and space utilization from the perspective of the disabled.

To secure a new facility, the district actively reflected the opinions of the Federation of the Visually Impaired and, after consultations, promoted the relocation to Yangcheon Venture Town (267 Sinjeong-ro), located in the central area of the district with easy accessibility, and swiftly proceeded with the purchase. This location offers a spacious parking lot with a total of 127 parking spaces and improved mobility for the disabled through elevators, and above all, safety is ensured by the presence of an on-site management office.

The center covers a total area of 105.69㎡ and includes various internal facilities such as ▲a “Counseling Room” that supports the lives of the visually impaired and provides guidance on government policies necessary for daily life ▲a “Community Room” for exchange activities such as self-help meetings ▲a “Fitness Room” for free exercise and physical fitness improvement ▲a “Multipurpose Education Room” for various lectures and programs including meetings, computer classes, and singing classes ▲and an “Operations Office” supporting self-help group activities for the visually impaired.

In the future, the center plans to offer diverse and rich programs such as computer education and singing classes to help bridge the information gap, promoting leisure activities and welfare for people with disabilities.

Meanwhile, the district is expanding support for people with disabilities to ensure that socially vulnerable groups are not marginalized. To prevent blind spots in care services for the disabled, the district has significantly increased the number of disability activity support personnel to support independent living and operates sports classes for the disabled to promote healthy physical activities.

Mayor Lee Gi-jae of Yangcheon-gu said, “The newly opened Maeumssi Center is a user-centered, customized cultural and welfare space designed to be convenient for visually impaired users. Through information sharing, cultural activities, physical training, and support for self-help groups, I hope it will become a source of hope and a space for communication and exchange for visually impaired individuals who find it difficult to use general welfare facilities in the region.”

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