When we think of Daegu University (DU), we think of an institution that promotes welfare for the disabled. When we mention DU, we can’t help but mention that it is a Mecca for students with disabilities. We may even dare to say that DU is the most disabled student friendly university in the country. Speaking to disabled students at DU, I discovered that most of them felt the university had accomplished quite a lot when it comes to providing services for the disabled.
DU’s Braille library, the first established in Korea, is a shining example of the university’s commitment to the disabled. It is a fact that DU has established a high standing due to the achievements and services of the Braille library. The Braille library offers a vast array of services and information for the blind. It also publishes books in a variety of formats including electronic and braille. The library plays the role of a lighthouse to the blind in Korea and DU. The Braille library garden also offers the blind a phonetic and aromatic opportunity to experience nature. The garden is the first of its kind in Korea and is unique with its Braille direction board and automatic voice guidance machines.
We can see the present condition and concern about the welfare of physically challenged people in the ‘Disabled Students Support Center', the first of its kind established in Korea. Because, there are many universities that do not offer a support center for disabled students, other universities visit DU to benchmark it. This is an example of DU’s boundless potential and competitive power for development.
Wheelchair-friendly busses as well as wheel chair accessible facilities such as elevators in each building or slope ways are a guaranteed right of disabled students. The many support services make an interesting campus life for disabled students.
Most of all, it is the positive perception of DU schoolmates for disabled students. Disabled students are not shunned or ignored by their fellow classmates. They are respected as the people they are and are given the confidence to go out into the world when they graduate. Moreover, disabled students have established their own committee to ensure that their ideas and agenda for a better life are represented.
Ho Won Jeong (Social welfare, 08), a blind student, said that the welfare service was better than at other universities. Things like the electronic books and the ease of mobility around campus make for a better life. So long as DU continues to listen to students and seek out answers to problems, the university will hold a competitive edge, he said. Also Ji Hun Ha (Social welfare, 08) said DU implements welfare plans for disabled students very well compared with other universities.
In Korea, it is hard to find a university that compares to DU when it comes to entrance rates for the disabled and services provided to the disabled.
Of course, all this doesn't mean that there aren’t any inconvenience for disabled students. Many disabled students point out the lack of maintenance of the Braille garden after it was made or the limited number of wheelchair-friendly busses that operate. If DU listens to these complaints and continues to improve the environment, the university will become more and more developed.