Social attention on the demonstration of the Solidarity Against Disability Discrimination, which has been held in earnest since the beginning of this year, is rising. Since the protest is being done in subway, it seems that they are only requesting for a resolution on the right to move, however they are demanding improvement in various problems. Self-reliance support, one of the demands, that can support the de-facilitation of the disabled, shows a complex aspect unlike the right to move. The issue of mobility rights is a clear conflict between disabled and non-disabled people. However, as conflict on de-facilitation is between the guardians of disabled people and non-disabled people, it is more ironic and complicated. It is relatively a recent event that disabled people have been in a discussion related to this issue.
Since the inconvenience and discrimination experienced by the disabled appeared in the media, there have been opportunities for me to answer to the questions asking for my opinion about it, but I hesitated answering to it as thoughts of various positions clashed. I know how serious the burden of families caring disabilities is within the insufficient community system. Both of the family’s choice to send the disabled to facilities due to practical difficulties and taking care of the disabled within the insufficient medical and social service system must be difficult. However, at the same time, it was difficult to clearly state my opinion since I had to respect for the basic rights of the disabled on choosing where to live. Meanwhile, I attended a film festival. What happened at the film festival was an opportunity to organize and talk about my thoughts more clearly.
Seoul Disabled People’s Rights Film Festival was held near Marronier Park from April 29th to May 1st. I attended there with a friend with a light mind but what I experience that day was a series of inevitable coincidences. I cannot know why the movie watched on time was about de-facilitation. I just saw an advertisement of a book concert held in the building I wanted to visit someday, and the book was about de-facilitation. The shared message from the movie and the book I accidentally watched, and saw was as follows. Disabled people who lived in community-isolated detention facilities were not given the right to choose a space to live in, they knew they had the right to decide for themselves, and those who came out of the facility were now happy to live with others. Therefore, now we have to listen to their voices. Those who realize that they have the right to choose their direction of life should share their own thoughts on where to live and what to do, and at the same time, reflect on whether we have been making decisions about other people’s lives using disability as an excuse.
We get to know about human rights violation problems that often occur in detention facilities through the media. Among the various types of disabilities, people with developmental and severe physical disabilities live in facilities and most of them got to live there under the decision made by others. Since they do not have anyone to take care of them and even if they do, it is difficult to take care of them. However, human rights abuses have been continuously raised and groups protecting the socially disadvantaged have argued that the problems will disappear with the disappearance of the facilities themselves. Along with this argument, the Korean government recently announced a plan to disclose and gradually implement a roadmap for supporting community independence for the disabled. However, many debates over the published roadmap are also ongoing, and even if implemented, it is expected that full self-reliance support for disabled people through de-facilitation will be difficult. Infrastructure construction requires consensus within the local community, so it is never easy to secure it in a short period of time. Therefore, it is considered a priority to create and improve a system to solve problems, such as clarifying what legal restraints will be imposed on abuses and crimes related to human rights in detention facilities, rather than unconditionally closing problematic facilities. Establishing solid infrastructure, practical systems and programs should be preceded, so that the social service organizations will be able to help those who decided to come out into the community.
Everyone should put their heads together and make it possible for them to settle into social system, since we all have the right to live in the house we want, regardless of whether we have a disability or not.