"Challenging Behavior and Functional Improvement Exercise Class for Children with Developmental Disabilities" on the left, and "Pain and Functional Improvement Exercise Class for Adults with Disabilities" on the right

Professor Kim Dong-il, the project's task manager, said he successfully completed the "Disability Exercise Rehabilitation Program in the First Half of 2024" as part of the "School Sports Facilities Open Support Project for Disabled Persons" (sponsored by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, Lottery Committee, and National Sports Promotion Agency) organized by the Incheon Metropolitan City Sports Association for the Disabled (Chairman: Yoo Jeong-bok, Secretary-General: Choi Eui-soon). 

This program was organized into three programs: "Challenging Behavior and Functional Improvement Exercise Class" for children with developmental disabilities, "Health Fitness Promotion Exercise Class" for children and adults with developmental disabilities, physical disabilities, and brain lesions. Led by disability exercise rehabilitation experts and students majoring in disability rehabilitation, the program developed and provided individualized exercise rehabilitation programs tailored to individual disability types, levels, and characteristics, with the aim of improving children with developmental disabilities' ability to solve problems with physical development, social adaptation capabilities, and challenging behaviors. 

Researcher Kim Yoon-sung (major in sports medicine and exercise rehabilitation at Incheon National University), the program's general lead lecturer, said, "We were able to smoothly proceed with the program with active participation and high level of expertise to improve the problem behavior of children with developmental disabilities and the pain and physical function of adults with disabilities." The guardian of child A with developmental disabilities who participated in this program said, "It is trustworthy because it consists of a systematic and individualized exercise program in which experts and students in majors participate as trainers." In addition, the guardian of child B with developmental disabilities said, "Children love to participate in the program, and through participation, their concentration has improved and problematic behavior has decreased." In addition, A, an adult with physical disabilities who participated in the "Pain and Functional Improvement Exercise Class", said, "I felt my body improved as much as taking medicine," and B, a spinal cord disorder, expressed high satisfaction with the program, saying, "I thought I had to go to the hospital if I was sick, but I learned that my health could be improved through exercise."

In this program, not only the disabled in the region but also students with disabilities attending the National Incheon National University participated and showed very high satisfaction. In particular, C, a student at Incheon National University with brain lesion disorder, said, "I really want to participate even if I pay for it, and I strongly recommend it to my surroundings." In addition, D, a student with spinal cord disorder, showed a positive response to the program, saying, "I thought exercise was only for healthy people, but through this program, I experienced a lighter body and clearer mind." 

The program will reopen through the "Underwater Exercise Rehabilitation Program for Persons with Disabilities in the Area," which will begin in July 2024, followed by the resumption of various exercise rehabilitation programs in the second half of the year as part of the "School Sports Facilities Open Support Project for Persons with Disabilities."

Conducting "Challenging Behavior and Functional Improvement and Health Fitness Exercise Class" for children with developmental disabilities and "Pain and Functional Improvement Exercise Class" for adults with disabilities