Nowon-gu Conducts Disability Awareness Education to Foster Empathy Through Puppet Shows and More

A Rich Program with Puppet Shows for Children and Sign Language Education for Civil Service Staff
Disabled Individuals as Instructors Bring Realism and Empathy
Expanding Awareness Impact through an Awareness Improvement Project with Residents

Nowon-gu, Seoul (Mayor Oh Seung-rok) announced that it is working to improve awareness of disabilities through unique educational programs that incorporate sensitivity to disabilities.

As of January 2024, the number of registered persons with disabilities residing in Nowon-gu is 26,403, accounting for 5.3% of the total population of the district. Under the vision of , the district has established a comprehensive plan for people with disabilities and is carrying out various support projects. Among them, awareness improvement projects based on empathy hold significant importance. It is judged that awareness improvement is an essential element to move beyond simply enhancing convenience for people with disabilities to a society where mutual “empathy” is achieved.

The core program is the 'Visiting Disability Awareness Improvement Education.' Last year, the visiting education was conducted for about 1,300 preschool and elementary school children, and this year it has been expanded to all age groups, including adult workers employed in local workplaces, with the number of participants increasing to about 1,700.

The education promoted by the district is gaining attention because it evokes empathy and support from non-disabled people based on the discrimination experiences directly faced by people with disabilities. According to district officials, disabled instructors and family members of people with disabilities calmly increase the concentration of the education even without flashy rhetoric.

In particular, the puppet show-style education featuring actors with developmental disabilities is effective for preschool children. The disability awareness improvement puppet show will be operated 18 times this year as well as last year, prioritizing institutions that run integrated classes for children with and without disabilities.

This year, sign language education was also provided for the first time to civil service staff in charge of civil affairs at local community centers. This is because it is necessary for the staff to learn basic sign language along with establishing an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system to solve communication problems, which can be another barrier when people with disabilities visit public institutions. The education covered frequently used expressions in civil service settings, starting with “Hello, nice to meet you,” and including “Please show your ID, do you need to issue a welfare card?” One staff member who participated in the training said, “Since the topic is highly relevant to my work, I think it will be practically useful, and it provided an opportunity to understand people with communication disabilities a little better through sign language.”

To supplement the limitations of sporadic education, disability awareness improvement content is also being produced to expand contact points with non-disabled residents in their daily lives. This was triggered by collaboration with YouTuber Weeracle (real name Park Wi), who gave a lecture on disability awareness education to Nowon-gu office and its affiliated institutions last year. The video showcasing the district’s disability-friendly policies and efforts achieved 380,000 views for the main video and 810,000 views for short-form content.

This year, a supporter group will be launched to act as partners in awareness improvement, strengthening residents’ participation in planning, producing, and promoting content. The disability awareness improvement content produced together with the supporters will be repeatedly broadcast mainly in areas with high foot traffic through large outdoor electronic billboards and video advertising boards as well as on YouTube.

Oh Seung-rok, mayor of Nowon-gu, said, “A truly disability-friendly city requires insight that looks beyond just providing convenience,” adding, “I hope that the moments when people receive awareness improvement education or encounter content will accumulate and gradually allow empathy to permeate between people with and without disabilities.”