For barrier-free society

By Kim Sun-ae

My friends and I didn't go into the restaurant. Because it had only stairs, one of my friends who uses a wheelchair couldn't enter the building. We went to another restaurant instead; it had a ramp at the entrance.

Many buildings don't have a ramp at the entrance. Therefore, people who use a wheelchair can't go to such restaurants, pharmacies, cafes, theaters and so on. If those places had a ramp and an elevator instead of just stairs, people with physical disabilities would be able to enter. Also, those with strollers and old people who are less mobile would be able to enter buildings more easily. Barrier-free building entrances can lead to more customers for restaurants and shops.

All people, including those with disabilities, have the right to accessible facilities. In Korea, however, those with physical disabilities face many barriers when they go out.

These days many people have to spend a lot of time at home, instead of going out. Now people without disabilities may be able to understand the feelings of those with disabilities, even just a little. We all know how it feels when we can't go where we want to go. With this understanding, it is needed to secure disabled people's right to movement.

In Seoul, sometimes I see subway users in a wheelchair. But I haven't seen a wheelchair user take a bus. Bus use may not be easy and comfortable for people with physical disabilities.

Moreover, in Korea, wheelchair users can't take most express buses. Only a few express buses are wheelchair-accessible. So people who use wheelchairs can't as easily go to another city or region. It is necessary to increase the number of wheelchair-accessible buses.

Sometimes the right to movement is directly linked with survival. When Kim Ji-u, a YouTuber, was a high school student, she uploaded a YouTube clip about her exclusion from safety training at school. During emergency drills in her school, Kim, who uses a wheelchair, had to wait alone in her classroom. In case of a disaster, people must not use elevators. So, nobody told her how to evacuate.

After uploading the clip, she participated in evacuation training for the first time in 12 years. The National Fire Agency sent her information on how disabled people should evacuate. Those with disabilities should be able to take part in such training and receive necessary information.

Once, my friend who uses a wheelchair asked me and other people without disabilities, “When you see a disabled person, do you think, 'I'm better than that person?'” His question gave me an opportunity to think about my attitude toward disabled people.

We are all humans. We have that in common despite our many differences. On that basis, we can understand and respect one another. A barrier-free society which considers all people will deepen such understanding.

Kim Sun-ae (blog.naver.com/dancinglf) wrote a book of illustrated essays, "Old Potato, New Potato."