Analysis of Socio-demographic Characteristics, Desire for Education and Welfare Services according to Life Cycle of Adults with Physical Disabilities

Abstract

The present study is intended to provide a detailed analysis of socio-demographic characteristics and desire for education and welfare services from adults with physical disabilities, and, building upon these results, propose policy tasks related to education and welfare support according to their life cycle. To this end, the author collected data about adults with physical disabilities from original data in the government-led “survey on current situation of people with disabilities” conducted in 2020 for research and went into secondary analysis. The key results are stated as follows. First, as adults with physical disabilities grow older, the rate of emergence witnessed a spike. It was surprising to see that old women showed the highest rate of physical disabilities, and that the number of people with disabilities with moderate disability grew steadily as they become older. The serious finding was that older people suffering from physical disabilities with under secondary-level educational background represented 53.4 percent and households whose average monthly income worth under 2 million won accounted for 68 percent. As such, they were at risk of educational level and economic conditions. Second, 40.5 percent of young adults, 37.2 percent of middle-aged adults, and 47.3 percent of old adults generally said that there are not many convenient facilities for people with disabilities and they feel difficulty in doing outdoor activities due to absence of helpers. Another notable finding was that young adults with physical disabilities were discontent with culture and leisure activities. Third, 83.8 percent of adults with physical disabilities mentioned that there exists no lifelong-learning programs to join. They demanded a priority in strengthening making public programs on the need for support with an aim to encourage their participation in lifelong-learning programs, while calling for support measures to guarantee their income from communities and the government.