Concern for the Developmentally Disabled

 

In the Diagnosis of the Times column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the director of a Diocesan Social Welfare Research Institute reminds the readers of society's problems in showing care for the Developmentally Disabled.

On July 10, the Korea Caritas Association and the National Human Rights Commission (HRC) jointly held a public discussion on the “Customized Care Support Plan for the Developmentally Disabled”. This discussion provided an opportunity to examine the progress of various policies targeting the developmentally disabled, including the “Deinstitutionalization and Community Self-Reliance Support Roadmap”  announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2021, and how realistic these policies are for the developmentally disabled who are the target of the policies.

The developmentally disabled are referred to as persons with an intellectual disability (IQ 70 or lower) with below-average intellectual function and autism spectrum disorder characterized by a lack of empathy, difficulty in communication, and limited and repetitive behavior. Through this discussion, the HRC emphasized the specialness of the developmentally disabled. In other words, the main content of the discussion was that various policies for the disabled are still insufficient in many ways to contain the specialness of the developmentally disabled. In particular, it is pointed out that the new direction for the disabled in facilities centered on independent housing, as mentioned in the deinstitutionalization roadmap, may rather cause various side effects.

Among the 2.5 million disabled people in Korea, the proportion of people with developmental disabilities is around 10%, which is not a large proportion, and since it is difficult for them to work on their own, the ‘specialness’ of people with developmental disabilities is not properly reflected in policies for the disabled.

All disabilities have their own specialness. In other words, there are ‘differences’ depending on the type of disability. Among these, the difficulty in communication and the decline in self-protection ability clearly represent the characteristics of people with developmental disabilities. According to the data from the Rights and Interests Commission, 23.9% of people with developmental disabilities have difficulty expressing their own opinions. In addition, the proportion of people who cannot recognize letters is around 30%. 46.2% of people do not recognize disasters or emergency situations on their own, and 55.3% of people are unable to report them to fire stations or police stations on their own.

However, without considering the situation of these people with developmental disabilities, or without recognizing the diversity of disabilities, some of the alternatives are not realistic. In particular, people with developmental disabilities have more difficulty expressing themselves than other people with disabilities. It is difficult for them to assert their rights as members of society, and it is also difficult for them to defend themselves in special situations.  Not considering the special nature of these people with developmental disabilities will be difficult to guarantee a dignified life for them, who are among the socially vulnerable.

The Church traditionally speaks of preferential options for the poor. The practice of love for poorer neighbors shows the identity of the Church. As “those who have no hope for a better future” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, paragraph 182,184), the Church recommends that we approach fundamental problems not only through charitable acts but also from a social and political perspective. 

In this sense, the Church’s concern for people with developmental disabilities and its efforts for them can be said to be an essential mission that the Church must carry out. By becoming an advocate for the severely developmentally disabled, who have difficulty protecting themselves and are at risk of social isolation, even among the disabled, we can light a new spark of hope for those who are in despair.