The People Power Party announced its presidential campaign promises for persons with disabilities on the 18th, including expanding the number of health coordinators for persons with disabilities to 3,000.
Kim Sang-hoon, the policy chief, noted at the National Assembly that, "We will build a Republic of Korea where the lives of persons with disabilities are the standard," and presented seven policy directions.
He stated that the plan is to increase the current 765 health coordinators for persons with disabilities to 3,000 and to expand the number of regional disability health centers from 19 to 70. This aims to ensure that all persons with disabilities can access medical services near their residence. Additionally, the plan will significantly expand disability-friendly health screening institutions to reduce the gap in health screening rates between persons with disabilities and non-disabled individuals, and to enhance disability-friendly obstetrics and gynecology services for women with disabilities. This is intended to improve the medical environment for persons with disabilities and strengthen the guarantee of their health rights.
The party also stated its intention to create a system that guarantees self-determination rights through the expansion of welfare budgets for persons with disabilities and personalized welfare. They plan to establish a comprehensive voucher platform to integrate disability support services currently dispersed across various departments into personal account formats. A one-stop support center for both persons with disabilities and the elderly will also be established.
In particular, the plan is to support the social participation of persons with disabilities by shifting the focus from social security to good jobs. To this end, it aims to increase financial support jobs for persons with disabilities to include barrier-free certification and job duties related to follow-up management, as well as public institution-linked jobs.
In the mid to long term, measures will also be established to support children with disabilities and individuals with developmental disabilities throughout their life cycles. An integrated support system will be set up in the early stages of life to enable early detection and intervention for children with developmental disabilities, and the educational support system will be strengthened to ensure integrated educational environments for infants and toddlers.
The policy establishment will involve direct participation from persons with disabilities to reflect their voices. Choi Bo-yoon, a member of the emergency response committee who participated in developing this policy promise, said, "We will reflect disability impact factors on key policies to ensure a disability-friendly environment in all areas and strengthen the functions of the disability policy deliberation committee."