Disability in South Korea

Last updated

The 2016 National Disability Survey found that there are approximately 2,683,400 people with disabilities in South Korea. [1] Physical disabilities account for about 50% of the total disabled population. In the past few decades, guided by the five-year plan, policies and services related to people with disabilities have improved. The government has established several regional rehabilitation centers for people with disabilities and has provided and implemented rehabilitation programs in their communities. The number of disabled people in South Korea is increasing as the population ages. Regarding this matter, the South Korean government is planning a stable welfare model to adapt to long-term demographic changes.

Contents

Demographics

13.9% of disabled South Koreans have their daily lives dependent on the help of others, and 82.4% of them are taken care of by their families. After increasing the number of disabled people's line management benefits in 2011, the use rate of care workers increased by 10.8%, compared with the previous one.

The average monthly income of families with disabilities is about $1,780 (2,000,000 won) and the average monthly expenditure is $1,460 (1,620,000 won), which is about 54% of the average for all households in the country. [2] According to statistics, 72% of the income of disabled people is used for medical related matters. Their unemployment rate is 7.8%, which is twice the total unemployment rate. And the wage level of disabled employees is $1,280 (1,420,000 won), which is only 54.6% of the national average wage ($2,340 or 2,600,000 won).

Before people began to change the status quo of disabled people, due to the conservative and homogeneous nature of the South Korean society, people with disabilities did not receive equality and attention. The South Korean government and social institutions also lacked long-term planning and effective support. In South Korea, the Employment Promotion Law for Persons with Disabilities requires employers with more than 300 employees to retain 2% of jobs for people with disabilities. [3] However, only 0.91% of job positions are held by disabled employees. Many employers are reluctant to hire people with disabilities. Only 11% of people with disabilities have personal computers, and 6.9% use the Internet, which limit their access to information.

In order to change the public's perception of people with disabilities, the Korean Broadcasting System (KBS) produced three special TV programs about disability. [4]

Discrimination

With the efforts of people with disabilities and stakeholders, many people have begun to call attention to people with disabilities, telling the public what the real life of people with disabilities is, and showing them that people with disabilities can contribute to society. [5] Many countries have also published anti-discrimination laws and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. These changes have also occurred in South Korea. However, because of the rapid expansion of the material space and rights awareness of previously isolated, persons with disabilities will face various forms of conflict and discrimination in new interpersonal relationships.

Hansen's disease

More than half of people with Hansen's disease (leprosy) are accompanied by disability and change the appearance of the patient, [6] which has been rejected and discriminated by most people in the twentieth century. In 2000, the word "leprosy" was replaced by "Hansen disease". On October 11, 2004, in Seoul, the Korean Bar Association hosted a forum to discuss the human rights of Hansen patients. Media reports at the forum stated that more than 400 disabled people, who once had Hansen's disease, gathered together, known as the "Sea of Tears", expressed their experiences and called for special legislation to correct extreme discrimination and their sufferings.

Sexual violence

In 2001, the slogan of the center for Sexual Violence against Women with Disabilities is "women with disabilities do not want to be the target of sexual violence". [7]

In South Korea, disabled people are classified into six levels. [8] Index 1 indicates the most severe degree of disability, and index 6 indicates less serious. In this grading, people without disabilities mean no disability; mild disability means that the disability severity index is between 3 and 6; severely disabled means that the disability severity index is 1 or 2. Mild disability includes people who can take care of themselves, even if some of them require personal support. Severe disabilities include those who are highly dependent on personal assistance or assistive devices. [9] The reason for dividing people with disabilities into serious and minor is that not only do they have different medical needs, but also some benefits are determined by this definition of severity. [10]

Trevor Palmer, an emeritus professor at the University of Sydney and a contributor to the 2011 World Disability Report, [11] said: "From a government perspective, this sounds reasonable, but his fairness cannot be confirmed. The system is completely dependent on medicine, this is an act of oversimplifying disability."

In addition to hoping to abolish the classification system, activists also wish to repeal a law that grants them disability benefits based on the disability or the income of their relatives, which is very unfair to some low-income people. And these allowances are likely not to be used to care for disabled people.

In South Korea, there are also people with disabilities who are severely disabled and whose relatives are unable to take care of them. They are housed in government-established institutions that currently house more than 30,000 people. They are barely exposed to other people in society in their daily lives. This is a permanent perception of their abnormality, and in institutions established specifically for disabled people, people with disabilities still cannot avoid human rights violations.

But at least in these institutions that specialize in disabled people, the facilities they need are basically complete, and people with disabilities cannot get rid of such institutions. Because the outside world lacks infrastructure, housing, employment, and transportation are not enough to meet the needs of disabled people, including both physical and mental needs. There are currently more than 4,000 people waiting on the list. About 70% of applicants are relatives of disabled people, so they can take care of disabled people at home without sacrificing all of their personal lives or work.

Children with Disability Experiencing Difficulty at School.png

On September 5, 2017, under the efforts and persistence of many parties, the Korean disability classification system was finally cancelled. The activists ushered in a short-lived victory, at the same time, a protest was erupting in a district of Seoul, South Korea. Some parents of disabled people asked to establish a disabled school in the local area, while others felt that disabled schools would affect the reputation of this area and the price. Therefore, there is still a long way to go about the issue of disabled people.

Rehabilitation and treatment

Consistent with the ideas of many countries, South Korea has placed the disabled population in an essential position in our peaceful years. [12] Technology, economics and medical development have confirmed this shift, and many Koreans believe that the ability to transform people with disabilities through biomedical physics is part of society and can show their ability to cure people with disabilities, thereby strengthening the impression of other countries on Korea and establishing a national spirit [11]

To this end, the Korean government has developed and implemented a series of policies and programs aimed at improving the facilities for disabled people and increasing the subsidies for disabled people. [2]

The first plan was to achieve equal treatment of the people with disabilities from 1998 to 2002; [13] to realize the welfare construction of disabled people from 2003 to 2007, such as targeted education and job opportunities; from 2008 to The third plan implemented in 2012 is to continue to develop social inclusion of persons with disabilities, eliminate discrimination, strengthen hardware facilities, and establish a welfare service system centered on persons with disabilities.

In September 2011, Na Kyung-won, a politician of the right-wing People Power Party visited a facility related to the severely disabled and was criticized socially for taking off the clothes of a severely disabled teenager and bathing naked in front of reporters. [14] Human rights groups for disabled people also criticized Na Kyung-won. [15]

After more than 10 years of continuous development, the concept and system of disabled people in Korea has been completely different from the original. Previously limited to physical barriers, now the obstacles caused by the brain, psychological disorders such as autism, surgery or plastic injury are also added to the damage barrier.

National health insurance costs about $765 million in physical therapy equipment for disabled people and in the development of occupational therapy. [3] The government has provided auxiliary equipment for low-income people with disabilities to improve their self-care ability, such as prosthetics and wheelchairs. After 1997, this equipment was also widely added to welfare protection. The household items covered are TV subtitles, audio watches and rehabilitation products such as acne prevention pads and orthopedic shoes. The most commonly used crutches for disabled people with physical disabilities and brain lesions, the use rate of electric wheelchairs increased by 22.3% and 6.9% respectively, 74.3% of deaf people have hearing aids, and more and more people with voice disabilities use an artificial larynx, the patient who has kidney disease uses a dialyzer.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disability</span> Impairments, activity limitations, and participation restrictions

Disability is the experience of any condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or have equitable access within a given society. Disabilities may be cognitive, developmental, intellectual, mental, physical, sensory, or a combination of multiple factors. Disabilities can be present from birth or can be acquired during a person's lifetime. Historically, disabilities have only been recognized based on a narrow set of criteria—however, disabilities are not binary and can be present in unique characteristics depending on the individual. A disability may be readily visible, or invisible in nature.

The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all people with disabilities.

People with disabilities in the United States are a significant minority group, making up a fifth of the overall population and over half of Americans older than eighty. There is a complex history underlying the U.S. and its relationship with its disabled population, with great progress being made in the last century to improve the livelihood of disabled citizens through legislation providing protections and benefits. Most notably, the Americans with Disabilities Act is a comprehensive anti-discrimination policy that works to protect Americans with disabilities in public settings and the workplace.

Independent living (IL), as seen by its advocates, is a philosophy, a way of looking at society and disability, and a worldwide movement of disabled people working for equal opportunities, self-determination, and self-respect. In the context of eldercare, independent living is seen as a step in the continuum of care, with assisted living being the next step.

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, is American legislation that guarantees certain rights to people with disabilities. It was one of the first U.S. federal civil rights laws offering protection for people with disabilities. It set precedents for subsequent legislation for people with disabilities, including the Virginians with Disabilities Act in 1985 and the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990.

Ableism is discrimination and social prejudice against people with physical or mental disabilities. Ableism characterizes people as they are defined by their disabilities and it also classifies disabled people as people who are inferior to non-disabled people. On this basis, people are assigned or denied certain perceived abilities, skills, or character orientations.

This disability rights timeline lists events outside the United States relating to the civil rights of people with disabilities, including court decisions, the passage of legislation, activists' actions, significant abuses of people with disabilities, and the founding of various organizations. Although the disability rights movement itself began in the 1960s, advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities started much earlier and continues to the present.

The world's poor are significantly more likely to have or incur a disability within their lifetime compared to more financially privileged populations. The rate of disability within impoverished nations is notably higher than that found in more developed countries. Since the early 2010s there has been growing research in support of an association between disability and poverty and of a cycle by which poverty and disability are mutually reinforcing. Physical, cognitive, mental, emotional, sensory, or developmental impairments independently or in tandem with one another may increase one's likelihood of becoming impoverished, while living in poverty may increase one's potential of having or acquiring disability in some capacity.

Four million people in Australia (18.5%) reported having a disability in 2009, according to the results of the Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers. Males and females were similarly affected by disability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disability in Brazil</span>

Disability in Brazil is defined when individuals struggle or are unable to complete standard everyday tasks. This is measured by the health indicators of daily activities and physical movement. Defining disability differs according to legal contexts of different environments and levels of vulnerability. Brazil is one of the heaviest populated countries in the world and is the largest country in South America, with a population of 212.56 million people in 2020. Due to population rates, there is approximately 16 million people in Brazil with a disability. Of this, 9 million of these are of working age, and 1 million are in the labor force.

In Japan, a person with a disability is defined as: "a person whose daily life or life in society is substantially limited over the long term due to a physical disability or mental disability". Japan ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) on 20 January 2014.

Reliable information about disability in North Korea, like other information about social conditions in the country, is difficult to find. As of 2016, North Korea is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Disability affects many people in Zimbabwe in both rural and urban areas. In spite of services provided by the government, philanthropists and welfare agencies, people with disabilities and their families often face several barriers. Philanthropist, Jairos Jiri, started services for people with disability in Zimbabwe in the 1940s. He is regarded as the father or founder of disability work in Zimbabwe.

As of 2007, there are almost one million people with various levels of physical and mental disabilities in Taiwan. Taiwan adopted a universal healthcare system in 1995 to properly support patient care and provide more transparent access to its people, including those who identify as disabled. Taiwan is a nation that has grown tremendously to support those that are disabled. This includes having a socialized form of medical care that is run by the Executive Yuan. Overall this universal scheme includes the law, public facilities, and educational aspect of healthcare. Taiwan also has different aspects of healthcare to effectively support those that are disadvantaged or disabled, this included subsidies, loans, plans, service guarantee and specific care for medically vulnerable populations. Taiwan's healthcare development and dedication to support its people plays an important role in its transformation of benefits for disabled people.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disability in the Philippines</span>

In the Philippines, disability is one of the social issues affecting a portion of the Philippines' population. To ensure the equality and rights of disabled persons, there are Philippine laws and policies that were passed regarding persons with disabilities (PWDs). There are also numerous non-government associations that seeks to encourage and help improve the wellbeing of people with disabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of disability</span>

Geography of disability is a multi-disciplinary branch of human geography which studies the experiences of people with disabilities and the extent to which disability in a population can be influenced by its geographical location. Potential components of studies in a geographical analysis include the environment, politics, incidental and additional supports, and the socio-economic landscape of the region being examined. This field has become increasingly important as policymakers have become aware of the need to ensure equal access to community resources for all individuals, regardless of mobility challenges.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on people with disabilities</span>

Individuals with disabilities are more susceptible to contracting COVID-19 and have higher mortality rates compared to those without disabilities. This is particularly true for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, those residing in care facilities, and women with disabilities. Individuals with disabilities face heightened risks of mental health issues related to the pandemic, such as increased feelings of loneliness and isolation. They may also be more vulnerable to domestic violence and abuse during the pandemic. People with disabilities are more likely to experience unemployment as a result of the pandemic and may require changes to the types of accommodations they require for work. Children with disabilities experience complications in their educational programming. Remote learning poses a host of challenges for children with disabilities, including disruptions to physical and occupational therapies and access to assistive technologies.

Sylvia Walker was a disability rights activist and professor with the School of Education at Howard University.

Disability in Kenya "results from the interaction between individuals with a health condition with personal and environmental factors including negative attitudes, inaccessible transport and public buildings, and limited social support. A person's environment has a huge effect on the experience and extent of disability." Having a disability can limit a citizen's access to basic resources, basic human rights, and social, political and economic participation in Kenyan society. There are three forms of limitation of access linked to disability: impairment, disability, and handicap. An impairment is "the loss or abnormality of psychological, physiological or anatomical structure or function." A disability results from an impairment as "the restriction or lack of ability to perform an activity in the manner considered normal for a human being", and the requirement for accommodation. Finally, a handicap "results from a disability, and limits or prevents the fulfilment of a role that is normal for that individual."

South Korea's Deaf population began to come to prominence in recorded history in the late 19th century with the implementation of special education. Since then, they have gained government recognition and legal rights.

References

  1. ↑ Ock, Minsu; Ahn, Jeonghoon; Yoon, Seok-Jun; Jo, Min-Woo (2016). "Estimation of Disability Weights in the General Population of South Korea Using a Paired Comparison". PLOS ONE. 11 (9): e0162478. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1162478O. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0162478 . ISSN   1932-6203. PMC   5015913 . PMID   27606626.
  2. 1 2 Kim, Wan Ho; Park, Yoon Ghil; Shin, Hyung-Ik; Im, Sang Hee (January 2014). "The World Report on Disability and recent developments in South Korea". American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation. 93 (1 Suppl 1): S58–62. doi:10.1097/PHM.0000000000000024. ISSN   1537-7385. PMID   24356084. S2CID   26118983.
  3. 1 2 Soon Kim-Rupnow, Weol (2001). An Introduction to Korean Culture for Rehabilitation Service Providers – via CIRRIE Monograph Series John Stone, Series Editor.
  4. ↑ Stone, John H. (2004-08-07). Culture and Disability: Providing Culturally Competent Services. SAGE Publications. ISBN   9781452266961.
  5. ↑ Park, Jung Youn (2017-07-03). "Disability discrimination in South Korea: routine and everyday aggressions toward disabled people". Disability & Society. 32 (6): 918–922. doi: 10.1080/09687599.2017.1321223 . ISSN   0968-7599.
  6. ↑ Kim, Eunjung (2016). Curative Violence: Rehabilitating Disability, Gender, and Sexuality in Modern Korea | Books Gateway | Duke University Press. doi:10.1215/9780822373513. ISBN   9780822373513. S2CID   39418894 . Retrieved 2019-05-15.{{cite book}}: |website= ignored (help)
  7. ↑ Carolyn, Frohmader (2015). Preventing Violence against Women and Girls with Disabilities: Integrating A Human Rights Perspective. Australia: Women With Disabilities Australia (WWDA). ISBN   978-0-9585268-4-5.
  8. ↑ "A Small Victory for South Korea's Disability Rights". KOREA EXPOSÉ. 2017-11-03. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  9. ↑ MOHW The Judgment Criteria for Rating Disability. Division of Policy for Persons with Disabilities, Ministry of Health and Welfare, South Korea (2015) Retrieved from:http://www.bokjiro.go.kr/pension/p03.jsp
  10. ↑ Jeon, Boyoung; Noguchi, Haruko; Kwon, Soonman; Ito, Tomoko; Tamiya, Nanako (2017-04-01). "Disability, poverty, and role of the basic livelihood security system on health services utilization among the elderly in South Korea". Social Science & Medicine. 178: 175–183. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2017.02.013 . ISSN   0277-9536. PMID   28237862.
  11. 1 2 "WHO | International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF)". WHO. Retrieved 2019-06-04.
  12. ↑ "WHO | World report on disability". WHO. Retrieved 2019-06-11.
  13. ↑ "An Introduction to Korean Culture for Rehabilitation Service Providers | Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange". cirrie-sphhp.webapps.buffalo.edu. Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  14. ↑ "세심하다던 나경원의 장애인 목욕 잔혹극". OhmyNews (in Korean). 29 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
  15. ↑ "장애인단체 "나경원, 장애아 알몸 목욕 '인권침해'"". KBS NEWS (in Korean). 28 September 2011. Retrieved 11 September 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.