The National Human Rights Commission of Korea (Chairperson Byung Chul Hyun) held a public hearing on the National Report on Foundation Building for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities on 2013. 9. 13 (Fri) from 10AM to 5PM at the Schubert Hall, 31st Floor, Seoul President Hotel.
For persons with disabilities, provision of services that varies not only by types and severity but also by their desires does not adequately meet their demands due to excessively standardized categorization of degrees of disability and improper assessment on the quality of services. Moreover, despite the fact that physical and institutional support is critical in ensuring independent living of persons with disabilities in local communities, lack of budget and social planning suited for persons without disabilities has created numerous instances in which persons with disabilities find it difficult to carry out their lives with reasonable level of independence.
In response, the NHRCK has prepared the National Report on Foundation Building for Independent Living of Persons with Disabilities upon the basic principles of right to make autonomous decisions; ensuring equal participation and opportunity; providing individual, needs-based services; and establishing integrative social environment that accepts differences with a purpose of creating capacity for persons with disabilities to live independently and fully integrating them into society. The results of the hearing will be reflected upon the Report and will be recommended upon consultation with relevant departments within this year.
The National Report is comprised of five sections. Specifically, the first section provides an overview of the Report; the second on 'the definition of disability and current status of persons with disabilities in Korea'; the third on 'the concept of independent life and basic principles'; the fourth on 'the major issues in establishing the basis on which independent lives of persons with disabilities can be achieved'; and the fifth on 'the suggestions for establishing the basis for independent lives of persons with disabilities'. Major issues to be pursued, a critical part of the Report, concerns with: improving administrative structure to support independent lives of persons with disabilities; ensuring daily life to strengthen individual right to choice; establishing social environment for local settlement (accommodation; employment; income; movement and access support, etc.); supporting facility-dependent persons with disabilities to deinstitutionalize and return to society; and supporting persons with disabilities under multiple discriminations. The overall objective is to shift the policy paradigm on persons with disabilities from facilities-based to societally-based independence.
The public hearing began with an introductory remark from Myung Sook Jang, a standing committee member of the NHRCK. The first session addressed the issue of improving administrative structure to support persons with disabilities to live independently and ensuring their daily lives; the second session addressed establishing social environment for local settlement of persons with disabilities; the third session discussed the issue of supporting persons with disabilities under multiple discriminations and the issue of deinstitutionalization. more than twenty experts from various fields concerning disabilities have joined to give presentations.
