Is Seoul National University Barrier Free*? Seoul National University's Student Council for Social Responsibility (SCSR) took the initiative to raise awareness on the accessibility issues on campus.
From April 8 to April 9, the Baef team of SCSR organized a booth in front of the Jahayeon Pond. At the booth, students could participate in various experiential activities aimed at raising awareness of the barriers faced by students with disabilities on our school campus.
The booth poster by the Baef team of SCSR
One of the three booth activities was the braille bookmark-making activity. Participants could listen to an introduction on the origin and structure of Korean braille while they used tools to punch braille, referring to braille manuals. Those who participated stated that they were surprised by how long brailling took.
Students punching out braille to make bookmarks of their own
Another activity involved experiencing a barrier that individuals with visual impairments face. At the booth, participants were given specially made goggles that imitated the perspective of individuals with visual impairments. Although it was quite difficult to read small letters while wearing the goggles, the menus with larger font sizes were relatively easier to read. This emphasized the importance of providing information in large print.
The last activity was a quiz on the campus where participants tried to guess the most Barrier Free way of moving around campus among the given routes. By examining five different routes, participants could learn of unnoticed barriers such as stairs, high curbs, and uneven paths. After the quiz, participants suggested ideas on how to eliminate the identified barriers on campus.
Special goggles and posters in different font sizes and a campus map showing routes with barriers
In addition to the booths, from April 3, a tactile exhibition titled A Sensory Transformation: From Sight to Touch x Enjoying Artwork in a New Way was held at the Kwanjeong Gallery located on the first floor of the Kwanjeong Building. This exhibition was jointly organized by the Baef team and the S Gallery of the Siloam Center for the Blind. Starting with the question, "How do individuals with visual impairments experience art exhibitions?”, the exhibition presented tactile art pieces, where the audience can enjoy the pieces through physically touching them. Famous pieces of artwork such as those of Mondrian, Van Gogh, Paul Klee were recreated in materials with various textures. The exhibition will be open until April 30.
The art exhibition being held in the library
The Baef team will continue to raise awareness of the barriers that exist on campus so that the campus may become more accessible to all. In light of that, there is an ongoing campaign to discover both Barrier Free areas and areas that can be improved in SNU. Examples include whether entrances to lecture halls are accessible for wheelchairs, or whether elevators and stairs are appropriately arranged. The team is looking forward to reports from students, and detailed information can be accessed through the following link.
Seoul National University’s Barrier Free lecture hall report: https://snucampusmap.notion.site/69770b3d9cdc44cfab7058d100584bf4
* Barrier Free: a movement that aims to eliminate physical and institutional barriers to create a society where the elderly and people with disabilities can live more comfortably.
Written by Jimin Suh, SNU English Editor, jiminasuh@snu.ac.kr