Nineteen-year-old LEE Ho-sung from Kyung-nam Namhae Jaeil High School has been accepted into SNU's College of Social Sciences this year.

Lee has been disabled since birth, paralyzed from the waist down. Asked to say a few words about the admission, he expressed his deep gratitude for his grandfather, saying,"This would not have been possible without my grandfather's help. Without him, I would have had to give up everything."

Until he was 12, he did not attend school because there was no special education program for disabled children in his hometown. Instead, he studied on his own at home, feeling jealous of all the other kids who could go to school.

Fortunately, one of the schools near his home decided to establish a special class for disabled students in the year he turned 12. Both of his parents were working, so his grandfather had to take him to and from school, since there was no transportation provided for the disabled students.

For seven years, his grandfather carried his grandson on his back up and down the stairs every day. Moreover, his grandfather gave him emotional support whenever he lost confidence, and told him,"To be happy in this harsh world, especially when living with a physical disability, you have to be extra-strong."

With his grandfather's help, Lee could focus on his studies. He was a hard-worker, taking full advantage of textbooks, lectures, and EBS Internet classes and only sleeping for 4-5 hours in order to study more.

Moreover, Lee did not receive any expensive private tutoring, which is not uncommon in Korea. As a result of his great efforts, he was always one of the top students at school. Now ready to begin a new phase of his life as an SNU student, Lee says he wants to become a policymaker in the future, who will bring about real changes for marginalized people in society.

In 2003, SNU adopted a special admissions policy for disabled students, and established the SNU Disabled Students Resource Center (http://snudanbi.snu.ac.kr, 02-880-8787), the first at a national university in Korea. The Center, located in the Administration Building, has provided various services to enrolled disabled students, such as an individual helper service for assistance with transportation, and mentoring programs.

Written by LEE SuKyoung, SNU English Editor, sukyoung123n@gmail.com
Reviewed by Eli Park Sorensen, SNU Professor of Liberal Studies, eps7257@snu.ac.kr
Proofread by Brett Johnson, SNU English Editor, morningcalm2@gmail.com