Center aims to guarantee learning rights, build inclusive education environment
Siheung held an opening ceremony Thursday for its new Lifelong Learning Center for People with Disabilities, marking a fresh start in the city's efforts to guarantee learning rights for people with disabilities and build an inclusive education environment.
The center was established on the first floor of the Jeongwang Lifelong Learning Center, through a remodeling of space previously occupied by the Women's New Work Support Center and the Jeongwang Lifelong Learning Center's administrative offices. The city carried out facility improvement work from October last year through October this year, equipping the space with classrooms, an exhibition room and other areas designed to support a wide range of learning and cultural activities for people with disabilities.
The opening ceremony drew Siheung Mayor Im Byeong-taek, people with disabilities and their families, representatives from related organizations and local residents, who gathered to celebrate the center's launch and share thoughts on the community's role in promoting lifelong learning for people with disabilities.
The center will operate as a regional hub to improve learning accessibility for people with disabilities and provide tailored lifelong learning programs that reflect individual characteristics and needs. It plans to focus particularly on strengthening participants' capacity for independent living and expanding opportunities for social participation through programs spanning culture and the arts, vocational education and digital literacy.
The city said it will use the center's opening as an opportunity to expand a lifelong learning environment where anyone can learn and grow without discrimination, regardless of disability, and to strengthen customized education that reflects the needs of people with disabilities. In addition, it plans to build an inclusive lifelong learning system linked with the broader community to support the continued learning and social participation of people with disabilities.
"The Siheung Lifelong Learning Center for People with Disabilities is a meaningful starting point in building a Siheung where anyone can learn and grow without discrimination," Mayor Im said. "We will continue to actively expand diverse lifelong learning opportunities tailored to the perspective of people with disabilities, so that learning can lead to real change in their lives and greater independence."
pjh@heraldcorp.com
