Hanwha Group Produces and Donates Braille Calendars for 2021

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Yoon-joo] Hanwha Group announced on the 10th that it will produce 40,000 copies of the '2021 Hanwha Braille Calendar' and provide them free of charge.

The 'Hanwha Braille Calendar' is Hanwha Group's representative social contribution activity, which started in 2000 when Chairman Kim Seung-yeon read an email from a visually impaired person asking for help and initiated the project with the idea of "Let’s allow visually impaired people to share the joy of welcoming the New Year." This year marks the 20th anniversary of its production (21st year).

Starting with 5,000 copies in 2000, from 2009, the 10th year of publication, it was divided into two types: wall-hanging and desk calendars, producing 25,000 copies each and providing them free of charge.

Due to high response from organizations related to the visually impaired, the number of copies has increased every year, and including the 2021 calendar, the cumulative number of copies issued has reached about 800,000. If stacked, it would be higher than the height of Mount Everest (8,848m).

In celebration of the 20th anniversary this year, reflecting the actual usage by visually impaired people, 30,000 desk calendars and 10,000 wall-hanging calendars were produced. They will be sequentially delivered by mid-December to about 300 visually impaired-related institutions, organizations, and individuals who applied in advance through the Hanwha Group website and the Hanwha Braille Calendar office.

Meanwhile, unlike regular calendars, the Braille calendar minimizes the risk of damage to the Braille by conducting most processes manually, except for typesetting and printing.

Therefore, Hanwha Group produces the calendar together with 'Doseochulpan Jeomja,' a social enterprise specializing in Braille publishing and printing, and reflects the meticulous expert review as well as the opinions of actual users who are visually impaired in the production process.

In fact, by incorporating feedback from visually impaired users, the calendar’s number size and density have been improved so that all levels of visual impairment from grade 1 to 6 can use the Braille calendar. Additionally, solar terms, anniversaries, and lunar calendar dates are separately indicated in Braille, making it tailored to the needs of actual visually impaired users.

In particular, the Hanwha Braille Calendar is evaluated as contributing to creating a culture without discrimination by allowing both visually impaired and non-disabled people to use it without distinction, fostering mutual understanding.

A Hanwha Group official said, "The Hanwha Braille Calendar is meaningful in that it instills the meaning of today and tomorrow to visually impaired people and helps them manage their schedules independently, enabling them to plan their year on their own."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.