Forced ‘Home Alone’
-The disabled in Korea still
dream a dream
President
Park Geun-hye stated this government will strongly support social welfare, in
particular neglected groups. She announced increases in the welfare budget and
some advanced aid to minority in society.
In
comparison to England where I live in now, Korean social safety net is quite
well developed at some points. Compulsory courses till middle school, medical
insurance systems[1]
and some parts of welfare systems in parallel to universal benefits are as good
as any developed countries’. But this benefit and support is the preserve of
non-disabled person in Korea.
The
thing I was shocked about in England at first was when I was working out at
gym. It is not hard to find someone sitting on his/her wheelchair doing exercises.
Usually disabled people in Korea tend to stay home; even if they want to go out,
as they become the center of attention. . Disabled people in Britain perform
the same tasks as non-disabled, and nobody around them (except me) is surprised
or embarrassed. I am addicted to the gym, and have never seen a disabled person
working out in Korea, except in rehab.
I
got to see something more while living here. It is not hard to find packages
with Braille printed on side, box of painkillers, jars of strawberry jam, and
so many everyday goods have Braille. I asked my sister in Korea to check if
Korean products have Braille either. But as expected, no such luck. . Thinking
about the market in Korea, I have never seen deaf people shopping at the mall.
In
Korea, people easily tend to think that disabled people cannot be independent
and are always reckoned to be persons who have to be nursed. A few years ago,
there was a social campaign that aiming to change the phrase ‘disabled people’
to ‘disabled friend’ to make disabled people be more familiar to non-disabled
people. But this is apparently a self-centered idea of non-disabled people and
it can be considered a part of an arrogance of non-disabled people. Disabled
people are not object of pity; they do not need to be our friend. What they
really want is neither money nor economic subsidies[2], they
just hope to go out without public attention, as non-disabled people do, as
part of the society member. Changed our biased and prejudiced views of disabled
people as unable to care for themselves is more important than economic
benefits. So we should speak to our President, ‘It’s attitude, stupid!’.
[1] This well developed universal
system also cannot be characteristic of Korean welfare since Park’s cabinet
decides to privatize medical insurance system.
[2]
Of course, this responses are from middle class, who can afford to attend
university, our society’s neglected in welfare area still exists.
