Yangcheon-gu Provides Online Disability Rights Education for Elementary Students

Real-time Non-face-to-face Video Education for 28 Classes in 5 Elementary Schools...Creating an Educational Environment Focused on Classes with Vivid Experiential Learning, Including Hands-on Universal Design through Teaching Aids

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jong-il] Yangcheon-gu (Mayor Kim Soo-young) is conducting disability rights education for second-grade elementary school students, which had been suspended due to COVID-19, by transitioning to non-face-to-face education.

The disability rights education has been conducted since 2018 in cooperation with the Yangcheon-gu Disability Rights Center, targeting elementary and middle school students to improve awareness of discrimination against people with disabilities and to establish a social consciousness of living together with people with disabilities, thereby contributing to social integration.

In 2018, disabled instructors directly educated 1,040 students in 40 classes across 7 schools, and in 2019, they educated 1,008 students in 40 classes across 9 schools.

However, this year, due to concerns over the spread of the COVID-19 virus, the district announced that since October, it has been accepting applications for disability rights education from schools and operating the program as non-face-to-face video education for the applying schools.

First, for five schools including those selected for face-to-face education before the COVID-19 outbreak and the applying schools, a total of 24 second-grade classes are provided with the disability awareness improvement education video "Duri's Concern" produced by the Movement for the Practice of Prioritizing People with Disabilities, along with educational materials (value boxes). Using these, education on universal design (which means designing environments that all citizens can safely use regardless of age, gender, nationality, or disability) is conducted according to the school schedule, followed by quizzes and hands-on craft activities to conclude the sessions.

Additionally, interactive online education is conducted through a real-time online platform, where instructors deliver 50-minute lectures to three second-grade classes in the after-school care program at Shinseo Elementary School, followed by experiential activities such as making a human rights tree and a human rights train.

A Yangcheon-gu official stated, "Since the education is conducted online in a non-face-to-face manner, to improve concentration and participation of lower-grade elementary students, various hands-on craft activities using educational materials are provided for direct experience."

One human rights education instructor said, "Although we cannot visit classrooms directly due to COVID-19, we are providing education to students through real-time remote classes. Even though the lectures are non-face-to-face, we are trying various methods to deliver the most vivid education possible to the students."

Kim Soo-young, Mayor of Yangcheon-gu, stated, "Non-face-to-face disability rights education is currently being conducted in 28 classes across 5 elementary schools in the region, and based on the results, we plan to supplement the educational content and continuously expand the program in 2021."

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