Gyeonggi Province to Launch 42 Support Projects for People with Developmental Disabilities, Including Specialized Care Initiatives

Gyeonggi Province will implement 42 support projects for people with developmental disabilities this year.

On February 3, Gyeonggi Provincial Government announced that, in accordance with the Gyeonggi Province Ordinance on Support for People with Developmental Disabilities, it has established an implementation plan and will carry out 42 detailed projects under four policy objectives.

Gyeonggi Province will newly launch a specialized care support project for people with developmental disabilities, which includes expert consulting on challenging behavior intervention and health check-ups for users of integrated care services for those with severe developmental disabilities, as well as workshops to strengthen the capabilities of care providers.

In addition, the province will establish new lifelong education centers for people with developmental disabilities in Ansan and Anyang, in addition to the existing centers in Siheung, Guri, and Uijeongbu. These lifelong education centers provide a variety of educational programs for people with developmental disabilities, including not only academic courses but also hobby and leisure activities.

Gyeonggi Provincial Government

The number of beneficiaries of daytime and after-school activity services, which support adults and adolescents with developmental disabilities in participating in various activities during the day and after school, will be expanded from 5,250 to 7,105.

The number of beneficiaries of the family respite support program, which provides camps, trips, and other forms of rest for families of people with developmental disabilities, will also increase from 3,065 to 3,805.

Gyeonggi Province will raise the monthly professional allowance for individual caregivers for those with the most severe disabilities, both 24-hour and daytime, from 150,000 won to 200,000 won. The hourly rate for one-on-one group support for people with severe developmental disabilities during the day will also increase from 28,254 won to 31,086 won.

Lee Eunju, Director of the Department of Independent Living Support for Persons with Disabilities at Gyeonggi Province, stated, "Gyeonggi Province will take the lead and do its utmost to ease the caregiving burden on families of people with developmental disabilities and to strengthen the social safety net."