Seoul City Significantly Expands 'Support Project for Daytime Activities of Severely Disabled' from 2 Years to 5 Years

Limitations in Improving Challenging Behaviors Over 2 Years... Fundamental Solution Through Extended Period
Current Users Also Receive Support Period Extension with Extended Application Period

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] The Seoul Metropolitan Government announced on the 3rd that it will extend the service usage period for the daytime activity support project for adults with severe disabilities at disability welfare centers from 2 years to 5 years. The plan aims to provide adults with severe disabilities, who are socially vulnerable, with ample opportunities to improve challenging behaviors and better adapt to the local community. This extension will apply not only to new users but also to existing users.

Among the current daytime activity program users, 34 out of 65 users whose usage period expires within this year and who are assessed as difficult to transfer to other facilities (52.3%) will be able to receive extended services due to the period extension. Additionally, Seoul plans to readjust the standardized daytime activity user quota (4 people) per disability welfare center according to the institution’s circumstances and demand, increasing the quota in places with high user demand to improve users’ choice of institutions.

Furthermore, besides the existing method where users attend programs within the welfare centers, a user-tailored outreach project will be promoted. Dedicated daytime activity staff at disability welfare centers will visit other types of welfare institutions and users’ homes to provide customized consulting services.

Other improvements besides the extension of the usage period, such as adjusting the number of users and dedicated daytime activity staff, will be thoroughly prepared through demand surveys for each welfare center and implemented starting next year. One dedicated daytime activity staff member is assigned for every two users in the daytime activity support project.

Meanwhile, disability welfare centers for developmental types, where users’ usage periods expire in June this year or have existing vacancies, are recruiting new users (7 people) until mid-July. Those wishing to participate in the program can apply through the Seoul Developmental Disability Support Center.

Gu Jong-won, Director of Welfare Planning at Seoul City, said, “Since 2017, Seoul has been the first metropolitan government nationwide to promote the daytime activity support project for adults with severe disabilities, striving to reduce the daily burdens of the individuals and their families after school age.” He added, “We hope that this system improvement, including the extension of the usage period, will lead to positive behavioral changes in people with disabilities and reduce the caregiving burden on families of adults with severe disabilities, laying the foundation for people with disabilities to live self-directed lives in the community.”