장애인고용 중심 보조공학 서비스 센터설립 필요성 연구 - 국내·외 장애인 보조공학 관련 서비스 체계 분석 중심으로

Abstract

This study aims to propose a model of an assistive technology center specializing inemployment that can provide efficient service delivery for disability employment, byanalyzing how domestic and foreign institutions provide assistive technology services. For this purpose, this study examines assistive technology services provided by variousagencies supervised by the Ministry of Labor and Employment, the Ministry of Healthand Welfare, and local governments. The services seem to be smoothly run and wellcoordinated within each of the three supervising ministries or local governments, whilethe Korea Employment Agency for the Disabled provides the most comprehensiveassistive technology services for disability employment. Yet the services provided by thevarious agencies turn out to be not sufficient compared to those provided in otheradvanced countries such as the United States, Japan, Germany, France, the UnitedKingdom, Australia and Sweden when we look at their service agencies, serviceprocedures, delivery systems. In these countries, though assistive services are separatelyprovided by each ministry, there are channels connecting ministries or agencies thatallow for organic and cooperative service operation among them. This study argues that it is necessary to establish a Korean assistive technology centerspecializing in employment that can coordinate various assistive services provided byvarious governmental or local governmental agencies and institutions. An analysis ofassistive services in the developed countries shows that integrative provision of assistiveservices across institutional boundaries is more likely than separate provision to lead toa higher disability employment rate, greater cost-effectiveness of welfare investment,lower welfare burden. Therefore, South Korea should establish an assistive technologycenter as a hub of assistive service that can provide the disabled with one-stop, highqualityassistive technology services.