Gyeongnam Disabled Persons' Organizations Urge Guarantee of Mobility, Education, and Labor Rights

“We are not here to simply commemorate Disability Day, but to raise awareness of the difficulties that people with disabilities face in their daily lives and to seek solutions.”

On the 19th, a day before Disability Day, the Gyeongnam Association of Centers for Independent Living for Persons with Disabilities held a press conference at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government press room and made this statement.

The association consists of 22 organizations, including centers for independent living for persons with disabilities, human rights centers for persons with disabilities, and lifelong education schools for persons with disabilities within the province.

They appealed, “While all citizens are inconvenienced by the bus strike, such inconveniences are experienced daily by people with disabilities,” adding, “There are many difficulties in transportation, education, labor, independence, and deinstitutionalization.”

The Gyeongnam Disabled Independent Living Center Council is holding a press conference at the Gyeongnam Provincial Government Press Room.
[Photo by Lee Seryeong]

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The association stated, “Although low-floor buses, call taxis for persons with disabilities, and voucher taxis are operated to ensure mobility rights for persons with disabilities, the adoption rate is low, intercity travel is impossible, and taxi waiting times are excessively long, causing inconvenience.” They demanded guarantees of 18 hours of daily operation time per vehicle, 24-hour operation of voucher taxis, and expansion of low-floor bus usage.

They continued, “Lifelong education is a stepping stone for persons with disabilities to meet people and live together in the community, but among lifelong education institutions nationwide, only 308 are dedicated to persons with disabilities.” They requested the establishment of one additional lifelong education institution for persons with disabilities in Gimhae and an increase in the budget for lifelong schools.

“Do not confine persons with disabilities to specific facilities under the pretext of care or treatment,” they said. “We want to leave residential facilities and live autonomously while receiving services for independence in individual housing.”

“Do not regard us as objects of pity and charity, but allow us to exercise our rights as subjects of labor,” they demanded, also calling for the expansion of jobs for persons with disabilities and increased working hours for job participants.

They emphasized, “We are not asking for something extraordinary, just the right to live with dignity,” urging support for independence, childcare and parenting support, strengthening support for persons with developmental and mental disabilities, as well as the protection of ▲mobility rights ▲educational rights ▲deinstitutionalization and independent living rights ▲and labor rights.

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