Seoul City Provides Additional 40 Hours of Special Activities for 3,700 Disabled Elementary, Middle, and High School Students

Temporary support until the end of this year... Guaranteeing learning rights, strengthening care functions
Activity assistants support online learning, school commutes, physical activities... Applications accepted at community centers

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 12th that it has established a special activity support service that provides 40 hours per month (561,000 KRW) of assistance to students with disabilities who have difficulty attending regular school life due to the prolonged COVID-19 pandemic. Applications are available starting this month, and support is provided for up to six months.

The special activity support service is temporarily provided until the end of this year in addition to the existing activity support service, which offers 45 to a maximum of 830 hours per month for students with disabilities. Applications must be submitted by July to receive the maximum support.

Upon applying for the service, an activity assistant visits the home of the student with disabilities to help with online learning assistance, commuting to and from school, hospital visits, walks, and other physical activities during outings.

The Seoul Metropolitan Government explained that it will provide special services to families of students with disabilities who require constant care personnel to guarantee the learning rights of students with disabilities and strengthen caregiving functions.

The support targets registered recipients of disability activity support services in Seoul. Applicants must have been born between 2003 and 2014 or currently be enrolled in elementary, middle, or high school. Approximately 3,700 students with disabilities are expected to receive support.

Kim Seon-soon, Director of Welfare Policy, said, “In the unprecedented disaster situation caused by COVID-19, the worries of students with disabilities and their parents were great. We hope that the establishment of the activity support service will help support the learning and caregiving of students with disabilities even a little.” She added, “Seoul will continue to listen to voices from the field and do its best to provide detailed welfare services for people with disabilities.”