SKT and National Institute of Special Education Collaborate to Bridge Digital Education Gap for Students with Disabilities

SK Telecom announced on the 24th that it will operate a visiting information and communication technology (ICT) education program for students with disabilities in collaboration with the Ministry of Education's National Institute of Special Education.

On the 23rd, SKT and the National Institute of Special Education conducted training on the use of unmanned information terminals (kiosks) for students with disabilities in special classes at Seoul Yanggang Elementary School in Yangcheon-gu, Seoul.

(From left) Eom Jong-hwan, SKT ESG Alliance Manager, and Lee Han-woo, Director of the National Institute of Special Education, are taking a commemorative photo after signing a cooperation agreement for the operation of a visiting ICT education program for students with disabilities. Photo by SKT

This training is part of a program to strengthen ICT education capabilities for students with disabilities promoted by SKT and the National Institute of Special Education. SKT provided customized unmanned information terminals for educational content to the 'Visiting Imagination Experience Bus' program operated by the National Institute of Special Education.

The unmanned information terminals are equipped with content that allows students with disabilities to directly experience ordering at food service establishments such as fast food, snack bars, Korean restaurants, cafes, ice cream shops, rest areas, and food courts, as well as booking subway, train, express bus, airplane, and passenger ship tickets, helping them easily utilize IT devices in daily life.

As part of the K-Digital Platform project led by the Ministry of Employment and Labor this year, SKT operates unmanned information terminal and AI utilization education programs at about 40 special education institutions located in the Seoul and Gyeonggi areas, and supports instructors for this purpose.

Since 2019 through 2021, SKT and the National Institute of Special Education have continuously collaborated to bridge the digital divide by conducting software education called 'Happy Coding School' for about 100 special schools (special classes in general schools) nationwide, targeting over 1,000 youth with disabilities. The two organizations signed an agreement in February to establish a public-private cooperation system for customized digital education for students with disabilities.

Lee Han-woo, Director of the National Institute of Special Education, stated, “Collaboration with SKT is expected to serve as a good example in attracting participation from excellent companies possessing advanced technologies necessary for education of students with disabilities in the era of digital transformation.”

Um Jong-hwan, head of SKT’s ESG Alliance, said, “We are providing various experiential opportunities so that talented students do not miss out on ICT education opportunities due to disabilities,” adding, “We will continue to work to bridge the digital education gap through ongoing collaboration with the National Institute of Special Education.”