Weclcome to Korea Differently Abled Federation

"For the dignity of people with disabilities"

Who We are..

KODAF(Korea Differently Abled Federation)is representative of organizations of people with disabilities and solidarity of 27 organizations of people with disabilities subdivided by types of disabilities and region. Our organization was launched when the Charter of civil rights for people with disabilities was signed/established in 1998, and has served to enhance and protect the rights and interests of people with disabilities.

Our society had recognized persons with disabilities a subject of sympathy, dispensation and welfare for ages long. However, the awareness about persons with disabilities have been renewed recently in the context of the civil rights.

At this turning point of awareness, KODAF tries to enhance the spirit that the Charter of civil rights of people with disabilities has created, and strives to improve the human rights of people with disabilities nation-wide.

Many parties, including KODAF, are continuously making efforts to enable complete and equal participation of all members in the society. Those efforts recently produced such results as the Act on Anti-discrimination and Rights Remedies for the Disabled and ratification of UNCRPD.

Under the new circumstances, Korean organizations of people with disabilities gather strength to prepare creative policy alternatives that are coincident with the spirit of the age. Moreover, we actively campaign to make the world an inclusive society without discrimination and exclusion for people with disabilities.

The meaning of 'differently abled' in the abbreviation of the KODAF(Korea differently abled federation) replaces the word "disabled" with " can do or will do", but in a bit of different way. KODAF tries not to use negative words, "can't do or won't do", especially "disabled". Disability could be a viewed as part of the character of person, just like wearing eye-glasses. It is a fundamentally more positive way to approach people with disabilities.

Literaturely speaking, the words, "differently abled" became a bit of a joke. It is sometimes used by the people who criticize political correctness that stands in the way of a real progress. Everyone understands that "differently abled" signifies a person with a disabilities. Sometimes, however, people use this expression to describe someone incompetent, or in denial about the lack their abilities. KODAF and its all members do not mean by that at all period.

- Address : 4Floor, E-ROOM Building, 17-13, Youeuido-Dong,
Youngdeungpo-Gu, Seoul, Korea (150-874)
- Telephone: +82-2-783-0067
- Fax : +82-2-783-0069
- E-mail : kodaf@korea.com
- Website : www.kodaf.or.kr