Uiwang City Opens Sign Language Interpretation Center and Deaf Community Healing Shelter
[Suwon Ilbo=Kim Chung-young Reporter] Uiwang City held an opening ceremony for the Sign Language Interpretation Center and Deaf Community Healing Shelter at the Cheonggye Comprehensive Welfare Center on the 12th.
The opening ceremony was attended by approximately 200 people including Uiwang City Mayor Kim Sung-je, Uiwang City Council Speaker Kim Hak-ki, National Assembly Member Lee So-young, city and provincial council members, Gyeonggi Province Deaf Association President Shin Dong-jin, and presidents of deaf associations from various regions across the country.
The Uiwang City Sign Language Interpretation Center, which relocated and expanded to the 4th floor of the Cheonggye Comprehensive Welfare Center, and the newly established Deaf Community Healing Shelter span approximately 312 square meters (95 pyeong) and are equipped with various spaces including lounges, educational areas, and counseling rooms as well as convenient facilities. The facilities will operate as a venue for various programs and information exchange aimed at advocating for the rights and promoting the welfare of hearing and speech-impaired individuals.
Meanwhile, the disability healing shelter is a space exclusively for people with disabilities who previously faced difficulties using general welfare facilities due to their specific disabilities, allowing them to enjoy education, information sharing, cultural activities, and leisure. Uiwang City currently operates a total of three such shelters.
Uiwang City Mayor Kim Sung-je said, "I was disappointed that the previous sign language interpretation center was too small to accommodate various programs, but I am pleased that with the establishment of this deaf community healing shelter and the relocation of the sign language interpretation center, deaf individuals can now communicate better with each other in a better environment." He added, "Going forward, we will continue to provide a wider range of welfare services so that people with disabilities can live safely and happily."