Nowon-gu, Here's Why It Became a City Good for People with Disabilities?

[Seoul District News] Nowon-gu Launches Nationwide First Disability-Friendly Hair Salon and Customized Mobility Support Projects; 77 Billion KRW Budget for 50 Detailed Disability-Related Initiatives... Gangseo-gu Provides Location-Tracking 'Shoe Insoles' and 'Wristwatches' to Prevent Missing Persons with Developmental Disabilities... Songpa-gu Hosts Various Events for Disability Day Celebration

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it is making every effort to create a disability-friendly city.

This year, the district is focusing on ▲strengthening mobility rights ▲customized support responding to diverse needs ▲support for disability-tailored jobs.

Strengthening Mobility Rights

First, strengthening the mobility rights of people with disabilities, which is the biggest inconvenience in their daily lives. Amid ongoing social issues regarding the mobility rights struggles of disability organizations, the district has prepared and is implementing measures to secure and ensure the safety of mobility rights for people with disabilities.

First, to support the use of electric mobility devices that serve as the legs for people with disabilities, the district subscribed to ‘Electric Mobility Device Insurance.’ Registered persons with disabilities residing in Nowon-gu have their insurance premiums fully covered by the district, which guarantees safety accidents occurring during the operation of electric mobility devices. In fact, in March, there was a case where insurance was paid due to an accident involving a collision between a pedestrian and an electric mobility device.

This year, the repair cost support limit for mobility devices has been significantly increased. For electric mobility devices, low-income persons with disabilities can receive up to 300,000 KRW, and general persons with disabilities up to 150,000 KRW. For manual wheelchairs, low-income persons with disabilities receive 150,000 KRW, and general persons with disabilities 100,000 KRW.

Also, Nowon-gu operates 58 charging stations for electric mobility devices, the most among Seoul’s autonomous districts. At the same time, it is actively expanding infrastructure for outdoor activities of people with disabilities by creating barrier-free circular walking trails in Bulamsan and Yeongchuksan Mountains, receiving great responses.

Ramps are also installed free of charge at convenience stores, pharmacies, restaurants, and other daily life facilities frequently visited by people with disabilities to ensure safe wheelchair access. Installation was completed at 42 stores last year, and more than 60 locations are planned for this year.

Along with this, the district is carefully improving the restroom issues, which have been a major inconvenience for outdoor activities of people with disabilities. From this year, when constructing or repairing outdoor restrooms in public facilities, regulations have been established to require prior consultation on disability convenience facilities and mandatory installation of automatic doors. To this end, from March to April, 178 public restrooms in the area were intensively inspected, and facilities with deficiencies will be corrected by the management departments.

Customized Support Responding to Diverse Needs

The district is preparing to open the nation’s first disability-friendly beauty salon in July. This was inspired by the fact that general beauty salons lack the necessary equipment or convenience facilities for people with disabilities, and visits were often hesitant due to social prejudice and people’s gaze.

The salon will be equipped with disability-tailored chairs and equipment that allow shampooing without moving after a haircut, dye, or perm, enabling people with disabilities to receive services from beauty professionals experienced in disability awareness and care. Various convenience facilities, restrooms, and private spaces will be arranged to ensure no inconvenience for users with disabilities.

In November this year, a Lifelong Support Center for Persons with Severe Disabilities will open. It will be established as a Brain Lesion Disability Vision Center and a second Developmental Disability Lifelong Education Center, targeting persons with severe brain lesion disabilities and adults with severe developmental disabilities. The center will provide learning spaces, physical activity support facilities, and support social activities for persons with severe disabilities. It will also include restrooms, personal care rooms, and psychological counseling rooms to promptly respond to various situations where persons with disabilities may face difficulties.

Additionally, projects to ensure the safety of persons with disabilities will be carried out. Since it is difficult to predict behavioral patterns of persons with developmental disabilities, missing person incidents continue to occur. In fact, over 1,500 missing person cases involving persons with developmental disabilities have occurred in Seoul alone in the past three years.

Accordingly, since 2020, the district has supported wandering detection devices for 170 persons with intellectual, autism, and mental disabilities. As a result, missing person incidents involving persons with disabilities in the district decreased by about 20% compared to the previous year. In the first half of this year, 52 persons were additionally supported with smart devices such as shoes or wristwatches equipped with GPS, and in the second half, the support target will be expanded to all registered persons with disabilities through ordinance revision.

From this year, low-income households with severe disabilities can also apply for paid broadcasting services with usage fees supported, and onsite interpretation for visually impaired persons will be provided at district-hosted events, promoting customized support projects that meet the diverse needs of persons with disabilities.

Support for Disability-Tailored Jobs

The ‘Nowon-gu Disability Job Center,’ the nation’s first dedicated institution for disability employment, opened in January last year. Economic independence is essential for persons with disabilities to establish themselves as proud members of society.

The job support center, operated directly by the district, serves as a hub institution providing integrated services related to disability employment by connecting customized jobs according to disability types for persons with disabilities aged 18 or older residing in the area. Since its opening, 293 people have been confirmed hired in both private and public job sectors, and employment connections and follow-up guidance are ongoing for cinemas, schools, hospitals, and companies with low disability employment rates.

In particular, in November last year, the district held the ‘Disability Employment Harmony Festival’ with the participation of 27 recruiting companies and 15 related organizations. The event included one-on-one interviews between employers and job seekers, provision of employment information, and experience events, serving as an opportunity for various related organizations, persons with disabilities, and employers to build long-term relationships. Follow-up management of job seekers who participated in the fair is also conducted, ensuring continuous support for economic independence rather than a one-time event.

Nowon-gu Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “We conduct an annual survey on the actual conditions of persons with disabilities to identify what they and their families truly need,” adding, “We will remove social barriers that make life difficult for persons with disabilities one by one and strive to enable them to live as proud members of society.” Nowon-gu Office Disability Welfare Division

Gangseo-gu, Seoul (Mayor Noh Hyun-song) announced that it will promote a ‘Smart Device Support Project’ to prevent missing persons among persons with developmental disabilities.

The purpose is to prevent missing incidents of persons with developmental disabilities through smart devices with location tracking functions and to enable prompt response in case of missing incidents.

According to statistics from the National Police Agency, about 8,000 missing reports of persons with developmental disabilities are filed annually. Most of the missing persons return home, but it often takes a long time to find them, or in some cases, they are never found, causing distress to their families.

Accordingly, the district decided to support smart devices equipped with GPS to prevent missing incidents of persons with developmental disabilities.

In particular, the supported smart devices are provided in two forms: ‘shoe insoles’ and ‘wristwatches,’ allowing users to choose according to their characteristics and situations.

When wearing the device, the location of the person with developmental disabilities is transmitted in real-time to the guardian’s smartphone, and if the person leaves a pre-set safe zone, an alert message is immediately sent to the guardian, making it very effective in preventing missing incidents.

The support target is persons with developmental disabilities residing in the district. Priority is given to persons with developmental disabilities in vulnerable households such as basic livelihood security recipients, near-poverty class, and disability pension recipients.

Households wishing to apply can apply at their local community service center by May 6.

The district plans to select 52 recipients in May after reviewing application priorities and needs. Selected recipients will receive smart devices and communication fees for two years.

Furthermore, the district plans to actively review expanding the support target in the future by evaluating the project’s effectiveness through user satisfaction surveys. A district official said, “We hope this smart device support will be a practical help to persons with developmental disabilities and their families,” and added, “We will continue to do our best to create an environment where persons with developmental disabilities can live safely.”