Yeongdeungpo-gu 'Nongain Shelter' Opens

Opening Ceremony at 2 PM on the 21st... Operations Started in April... Aiming to Improve Convenience and Welfare for Hearing and Speech-Impaired Individuals Facing Communication Challenges... Expected to Provide Sign Language Counseling and Education in Connection with the Sign Language Interpretation Center and Utilize Leisure Spaces

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yeongdeungpo-gu (District Mayor Chae Hyun-il) will hold an opening ceremony at 2 p.m. on the 21st for a Deaf Shelter established to improve the welfare of hearing- and speech-impaired individuals who face difficulties using general welfare facilities due to communication problems.

The number of hearing- and speech-impaired residents in the district is 2,348, accounting for a significant 16% of the total disabled population (14,438).

The district relocated the somewhat cramped Yeongdeungpo-gu Sign Language Interpretation Center to a new site (13, Gyeongin-ro 112-gil), expanding it to a total area of 302㎡ (2 floors above ground) and newly established the Deaf Shelter within the center.

The Deaf Shelter serves as a space for leisure activities for hearing- and speech-impaired individuals and operates together with the Sign Language Interpretation Center, which provides sign language counseling and education, expected by the district to create a synergistic effect.

Due to COVID-19, the opening ceremony for the Deaf Shelter, originally scheduled for April, was postponed and will be held on the 21st. Although the shelter began operations immediately after completion on April 1, it was suspended to prevent infection and resumed operations in July.

The district is promoting the use of the center in cooperation with local community centers to ensure that more hearing- and speech-impaired individuals are aware of and can use the shelter.

Chae Hyun-il, Mayor of Yeongdeungpo-gu, stated, “It is the public duty to create an environment where people with disabilities can live as members of society without inconvenience.” He added, “The Yeongdeungpo-gu Deaf Shelter will present a leading model of disability welfare by expanding customized support reflecting the welfare needs of the deaf.”