Publication of a Paper on the Operational Achievements of Guri City Developmental Disability Lifelong Education Center

Professor Jeong Soyeon of Seoul Women's University Department of Social Welfare and Two Others' Paper Published in Academic Journal

Guri City Hall exterior.

The city of Guri, Gyeonggi Province (Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun) announced that a case study paper on the achievements and success factors of the Guri Lifelong Education Center for People with Developmental Disabilities, the first of its kind to open and operate in Gyeonggi Province, has been published.

According to Guri City on the 29th, a paper authored by Professor Jeong So-yeon of the Department of Social Welfare at Seoul Women’s University and two others (Seo Hong-ran, Han Jeong-eun) was published in the journal of the Korean Society for Welfare of Persons with Disabilities on the 22nd of last month. The paper is a case study exploring the achievements and success factors of the Guri Lifelong Education Center for People with Developmental Disabilities, which is recognized as a model case of lifelong education.

The paper utilized a case study method that comprehensively analyzed various data, including FGI transcripts from users and their families, surveys of local related institution practitioners, and newspaper articles.

The achievements of the center presented in the paper include, at the user level, maintenance and improvement of cognitive functions, enhancement of emotional well-being, increased social skills, and reduction of challenging behaviors among users; at the family level, reduction of parental caregiving stress, decreased family conflicts, improved harmonious relationships, and discovery of hope for the future; and at the institutional level, establishment of status as a regional hub center and presentation of a model for lifelong education centers for people with developmental disabilities based on regional networks.

Additionally, key success factors identified were dedicated staff within the center, regional cooperative projects reflecting sensitivity to needs, trust-based user-institution relationships, an organizational culture centered on mutual respect and open communication, operation and services based on social integration and user-centered philosophy, and the interest and active support of the local government, especially Gyeonggi Province and Guri City.

Mayor Baek Kyung-hyun of Guri said, “The publication of the paper on the operational achievements of the Guri Lifelong Education Center for People with Developmental Disabilities verifies through official recognition the various efforts Guri City has made to actively support the dissemination and expansion of lifelong education for people with developmental disabilities. I hope this result will become a role model for lifelong education centers for people with developmental disabilities and establish itself as a successful model that positively influences the entire country.”

Jeong Eun-jung, director of the Guri Lifelong Education Center for People with Developmental Disabilities, said, “The center’s success and achievements were possible thanks to the support and trust of families including the center’s staff, close cooperative relationships with the local community, and the generous support and interest of the city and district governments. We express our gratitude to Professor Jeong So-yeon for publishing this paper and widely sharing our story.”