A life devoted to helping the disabled

For the disabled, every day is a fight, welfare center counselor says 


A winding hillside road lined with tall trees and shrubs on the lower slopes of Achasan, eastern Seoul, leads up to a set of buildings bustling with people in wheelchairs and on crutches, chatting in high spirits. 

On the first floor of the main building of Jeongnip Public Welfare Institution, Korea’s first rehabilitation center, is a 20-something-square-meter office where a small woman with a bright smile has been guiding visitors and counseling disabled people for 24 years. 

The center was founded in 1975 for people stricken with polio but now helps people with physical challenges including cerebral palsy and amputated limbs.

Kim Sun-yi, 41, recently won a welfare award from the Seoul Metropolitan Government for her devotion to the disabled despite her own physical difficulties.

Kim suffered from polio at the age of 5 and cannot walk. She is paralyzed from the waist down. While she talked about her life story with the Korea Herald, her eyes often filled up with tears triggered by mixed emotions ― of gratitude and feeling sorry for her family and friends.

“I still remember the feeling of walking when I was 3 and 4,” Kim said

“My mom always tagged along with me from elementary to high school even though she had her day job selling fruit on the streets.”

She had to face many difficulties, as Korea still lacks awareness and facilities for the disabled.

Kim’s father, who passed away when she was in high school, had been worried at first about letting her go outside. However, her mom stood firm and urged Kim to meet people, learn how to survive and live strong.

“I wouldn’t have come this far if it hadn’t been for mom,” said Kim, who now has her own son and daughter.

After graduating from a vocational high school in 1987, she started working at Jeongnip Public Welfare Institution. She struggled during her first years working there. Commuting to the center was often more difficult than her actual job. Facilities for the disabled on public transport were hard to find at the time.

With no buses or subways equipped with lifts or elevators, she had to take a taxi to get to her workplace every morning, which took up her whole 180,000 won ($159) monthly salary. During those years, taxis often looked to double their fares by taking extra people going in the same direction, so it was even harder for her to catch a taxi to the center since it was located far from other business districts. 

“I was very upset when taxis passed by just because I was disabled,” Kim said.

Whenever she hears about unfair treatment of disabled people, she regards them as if they are her own problems.

She recently heard about a man whose disability grade based on severity was downgraded from second to third due to an error by a public officer. The amount of support from the government depends on the disability grade. All he heard from the officer, however, was that there is no way to fix it. The man could do nothing but accept it.

Kim explained that public ignorance was a big problem.

“For the disabled, every day is a fight against inequality, prejudice, and even the entire society. But we should not give up,” she said.

She first went to the center on the recommendation of her grade school teacher in 1975 to participate in rehabilitation programs with activities such as swimming and archery that she could not do at her school.

When she thinks back to those years now, she says those activities gave her more confidence and a taste of something new.

She wished that more disabled people joined the programs at the center.

“Some people in the programs wish they had known about the programs earlier,” Kim said.

The welfare center provides various activities from computer education to sports and camping.

A summer camp is held ever year, in which disabled and nondisabled people can meet up and get to know each other.

“Both the disabled and nondisabled can get help through the opportunity,” Kim said.

Kim started learning to swim in earnest in 1997, since her back had been severely aching after giving birth to her daughter.

Now Kim swims across the Han River every year.

She also won three bronze medals in national sports festivals; two bronzes two years ago, and one last year in 50-meter freestyle and backstroke.

“Unfortunately I could not participate in the national games this year since I had to complete my Ph.D. thesis this summer,” she said.

After previously completing a master’s degree in social work at Sungkyunkwan University, she continued her studies to earn her doctoral degree at Seoul Christian University this summer.

In order to help physically challenged people take part more actively in society, support and encouragement are needed for them, she said.

Installing more ramps is one of the easiest ways. Steps on streets and in buildings hinder them from freely moving from place to place.

Taking a taxi is also not easy for them. They can expect to wait at least an hour, and sometimes up to three hours.

She also stressed the need for support for social workers like her.

“Some say social workers should work with sacrifice and a sense of duty, but they need encouragement and financial support, too,” Kim said.

They often work for little reward.

“Good welfare for social workers can beget good welfare services. Many social workers are leaving due to financial difficulties,” she said.

Even though many obstacles still exist for disabled people 24 years after Kim started working at Jeongnip Public Welfare Institution, she said she would work for the people who stay at home without realizing their potential.

From next month she will start to work for another welfare center for disabled women in Gangnam. Since disabled women have lower education and higher unemployment rates than their male counterparts, she will try to focus on helping them get out of their houses and take part in social activities.

“Basically, no matter whether it is male or female, I will try my best for the people,” she said cheerfully.

By Kim Young-won (wone0102@heraldcorp.com)