Welfare Reform on the Web (February 2008): Services for the disabled - overseas

The current status and future of centers for independent living in Korea

K.M. Kim

Disability and Society, vol. 23, 2008, p. 67-76

Self-help organisations for disabled people have made great strides in Korea since the 1990s. This paper sets out to describe the current status and future directions of these self-help organisations, focusing on Centers for Independent Living (CIL). These centres strive for the achievement of a barrier-free and rights-based society for disabled people. The author concludes that several tasks must be addressed to facilitate independence among disabled people in Korea:

• The passage of relevant laws
• The development of various funding sources
• The unification of the two associations for CIL
• The development of the capacity of CIL staff
• The establishment of an international network to share information and experiences.