Non-discriminant facilities for people with and without disabilities

장애•비장애 공존 실험 첫 삽 뜬 어울림플라자

It can be hard in South Korea to find shared public spaces or venues for culture activities that don't in some way make it harder for people with disabilities to fully participate.
This has led to projects, as our Lee Eun-jin reports, to build spaces that can be used together, and just as easily, by people with and without disabilities

This is a facility that offers programs with training tasks that don't discriminate between the disabled and non-disabled.
Ginseng sprouts are fitted inside a sponge which are then plugged into large cultivation plates and moved into a gardening room.

Even for individuals with severe developmental disorders, this is a place where they can get vocational training and learn social skills. Their duties are not time sensitive and an environment is created where they can intermingle with non-disabled people.

"There were initial worries of there being a distance because it's not often that we interact with people with disabilities. But now, the only difference is that they work a little slowly. There are no inconveniences."


Facilities like this that promote spaces where more disabled and non-disabled people can work together are increasing in number. But other places with convenience or cultural exchange that provide such an environment are still difficult to find.
It was in 2015 that local governments first started discussions for a plaza with facilities like swimming pools, libraries, and performance halls that could be used without discrimination.
But the project was met with much opposition, including concerns over school road safety, and it was not until recently that actual construction on the plaza started.

"There was a lot of resistance when word got out that a facility for disabled people was coming in residents put up banners and the biggest opposition came from parents of the surrounding elementary schools."

Despite the long journey to break ground, there are high hopes and expectations for the facility.

"People need more daily interaction to change their perception. That's why I hope this plaza plays a symbolic role."


More efforts need to be made for communities to grow beyond discrimination and prejudice.
Such facilities that bring together people with different needs help reduce bias.
Lee Eunjin, Arirang News.

#disabilities #Non_discriminant #Arirang_News

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2022-12-11, 12:00 (KST)