Meeting People with Disabilities through Movies... Nowon-gu Staff Training to Improve Disability Sensitivity

Movie 'Hakgyo Ganeun Gil' Staff Group Viewing and Disability Awareness Education... 12 Sessions from May 13 to 18 with Over 1,200 Employees Watching the Film

[Asia Economy Reporter Jongil Park] Nowon-gu (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) conducted staff training to enhance disability sensitivity through a group viewing of the film School Road.

School Road is a documentary film that records the story of mothers from the Gangseo Disabled Parents Association who led the establishment of Seojin School, a new special school in Seoul after 17 years.

Although the film became known to the public when it showed mothers kneeling and pleading in front of residents opposing the establishment of the special school, the reality of problems that cannot be resolved by kneeling and shaving their heads repeatedly blocked the path for disabled children to attend school.

The film depicts why the right to education, which all children should naturally enjoy, does not properly function for people with disabilities, how disabled individuals are excluded as “others” and live amid hatred and discrimination. Ultimately, it draws out the empathy needed to create a society where people with and without disabilities can live together.

During the April 7 by-election, there was an argument between a parent of a person with developmental disabilities and an election official at a polling station in Nowon-gu. The district judged that the incident occurred due to a lack of understanding of the characteristics of people with developmental disabilities and was preparing staff training to improve awareness of disabilities. At that time, a good film was released, which led to the promotion of this training.

The training was designed not as a formal disability education but to provide staff with a story and emotional impact that could truly resonate.

Also, Mayor Oh Seung-rok, who attended the film screening, was deeply moved and recommended it, saying, “I want to watch it with all staff.” Mayor Oh is also an expert on disability issues, having served as a member of the Health and Welfare Committee for four years during his time as a city councilor.

The disability sensitivity enhancement training through film viewing was conducted 12 times from May 13 to 18 for about 1,200 employees. The response from the staff was very enthusiastic.

B Team Leader of the Job Economy Division, who participated in the training, said, “Watching the film seemed to broaden my understanding of people with developmental disabilities. I want to participate in creating a society where people are not discriminated against or marginalized just because they have a disability.”

Also, Officer A from the Disability Welfare Division said, “Because it is a true story that recently happened within Seoul, I was able to immerse myself with more vivid emotions. I was able to understand a little about the lives of people with disabilities whom I often meet in my work.”

At the end of the film, there is a mother’s plea that after graduating from school, students with developmental disabilities have nowhere else to go. This implies that to help people with disabilities become independent members of society, attention must also be paid to providing opportunities for social advancement, including quality jobs.

The district is investing 7.59 billion KRW from its budget in 41 detailed projects to create “Nowon, a Disability-Friendly City,” one of the 70 major tasks of the 7th local government administration.

In particular, in January of this year, Nowon-gu opened the “Nowon-gu Disability Job Support Center,” the first dedicated institution for disability employment among local governments nationwide, providing integrated support for the economic independence of people with disabilities.

They are also carefully considering leisure activities for people with disabilities by creating barrier-free indoor playgrounds such as “Hagye Raonatti,” where everyone can play regardless of disability, and barrier-free forest trails accessible by wheelchair on Suraksan, Bulamsan, and Yeongchuksan Mountains.

In addition, the district is promoting projects such as the “Emergency Care Project” for families who need to care for people with disabilities 24 hours a day and the “Barrier-Free Sidewalk Maintenance Project” to secure mobility rights.

Mayor Oh Seung-rok said, “Watching the film made me think once again about what it means to live together with people with disabilities,” and added, “We will continue to implement various policies to create Nowon, a city where everyone is happy without discrimination between people with and without disabilities.”

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