This article was originally written in Korean and has been translated into English by Jeehyun Ahn with oversight by Nicola Fraschini and Cathy Harper.
This article delves into the various discussions surrounding the publication of ‘Basic Korean Language for the Visually Impaired,’ a textbook developed in 2022 and 2023 by the King Sejong Institute Foundation, a governmental institution in Korea. As widely acknowledged, Korean has been one of the fastest-growing foreign languages in recent years due to the substantial influence of K-Pop, movies, and dramas. It is astonishing to witness this dramatic growth that has transpired over the course of approximately 25 years since I first embarked on my journey of teaching Korean in 1998. Consequently, I interpret this situation as a ‘social phenomenon’ and in this article try to touch upon the contradictory perceptions and emerging problems faced by Koreans who embrace this phenomenon, which arose explosively in a short period of time.
With the increasing number of individuals interested in learning Korean, the growing diversity among Korean learners has become a new challenge in Korean language education. It is no longer feasible to associate the same image with the term ‘Korean learner’; in other words, the situations where someone learns Korean are very diverse. For various purposes, people from diverse nations are learning the Korean language within and outside of Korea, as well as inside and outside of the traditional educational framework, utilising both online and offline resources.
So, it is time to look at learners who do not have the opportunity to learn or are even deprived of the opportunity to learn Korean. If minorities such as migrants, refugees, learners whose native languages are not mainstream, young child learners, and elderly learners want to learn Korean we should consider their right to learn accordingly. If everyone is entitled to learn Korean, it is crucial to identify those who may be excluded from this right and the challenges they might encounter in accessing Korean from a standpoint of fairness.
In this article, I will focus specifically on Korean learners with visual impairments. When considering a foreign language for the visually impaired from the perspective of those without disabilities, learning spoken language will be seen as a solution. But what if they want to know and read ‘text’ beyond listening to just ‘voice’ and ‘conversation’? In other words, if they want to learn a more comprehensive form of Korean, which includes Korean braille as a written language what factors should we take into consideration? And what does it mean for us to break down these barriers? This article will delve into the challenges faced by the visually impaired in accessing Korean, with a focus on textbook development.
The growth of Korean language education and the perspective of welfare policy
The initial question I seek to explore pertains to the role of Korean language education within Korean government language policy and its implications for the paradigm of ‘barrier-free’ Korean learning. The focus of my attention in Korean language education policy is the welfare-oriented approach in offering educational opportunities in Korea. The Korean government has incorporated Korean language education into its welfare programs for migrants in cooperation with various relevant departments, aiming to provide them with a valuable opportunity to learn Korean as a crucial tool for settlement and survival. South Korean government authorities have generally exhibited what I think is intended to be a compassionate and kind stance towards linguistically marginalised people, but, at the same time, they have also shown a top-down and social integration perspective in relation to educating them in the Korean language. In other words, the education of the Korean language for marginalised groups has been conducted with the assumption that fluency in Korean is a prerequisite for their living in Korea, thereby fostering social cohesion. Under this assumption, marriage immigrants (women, usually from Southeast Asian nations, who have married Korean men) are taught to become familiar with language relevant to housework and childcare. Migrant workers with employment permits are educated to adapt to the working environment and prioritise safety. Students in public education are taught Korean as a means to get along ‘well’ with their Korean peers and study at school in Korean (Korean language education policy is very actively focused on providing educational opportunities).
There are many more narratives I would like to add to the background and culture that Korean language education has maintained as a language policy, but it is important to set aside lengthy comments and evaluate if the current direction truly promotes fairness and equal opportunities or if it unfairly impacts and stigmatises socially disadvantaged groups. I would like to point out that the idea of ‘language as a right’ for language learners has been changed by the Korean Government into the concept of ‘language as a duty’. Language diversity in Korea is increasing day by day, and I am concerned whether these current policy practices will be able to effectively respond to various issues that will arise.
In addition, when looking at the demand group who want to learn Korean, it is important to consider that they may face physical barriers to entry, such as physical disabilities, rather than conditional barriers to entry such as migration and relocation. However, it seems that Korean society at large does not care enough about the obstacles faced by people with disabilities.
People with disabilities and their right to learn foreign languages
As of 2023, the number of registered disabled people in Korea reached 2.642 million. The proportion of people with disabilities is 5.1 percent of the total population, meaning that 5 out of 100 Koreans are disabled. It is by no means a small number. Why is it not easy to see disabled people in Koreans’ daily life? The main challenge lies in the environment that makes it difficult for disabled individuals to engage in social activities in a society that prioritises non-disabled individuals. A contributing issue is that people with disabilities may not have the opportunity to interact with non-disabled individuals. As per a 2019 survey carried out by the National Statistical Office in Korea, a mere 17.9 percent of non-disabled individuals maintain a consistent relationship with the disabled.
Discrimination against individuals with disabilities consistently leads to issues such as the denial of the right to mobility, exclusion from access to information, and the presence of a digital information gap. The lack of disability awareness among the non-disabled, creates a vicious cycle that causes the disabled to become more isolated. The distorted perspective of non-disabled individuals confines disabled people within the narrow framework of simply being someone to be pitied and perpetuates their passive dependence on welfare benefits. The shadow of the welfare policy from a benefit perspective embedded in Korean language education also pervasively influences this dynamic.
In the international discourse, references to people with disabilities have improved and moved towards discussions on DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) and IDA&E (Inclusion, Diversity, Accessibility, and Equity). However, in Korea there has not been the same effort. In that respect, the recent work of YouTube creators who openly and actively communicate some of the barriers that disabled people encounter in their daily lives that non-disabled people are unaware of is meaningful. The videos of visually impaired YouTubers struggling to find information about sanitary pads and cup noodles at convenience stores have garnered sympathy from the public, prompting the introduction of cup noodles with braille labels to promote inclusivity by breaking down these barriers.
Foreign language acquisition is closely linked to visual and hearing impairments due to the nature of language. Furthermore, 92.4 percent of those with vision loss in Korea have acquired it through injury or disease, rather than their vision impairment being congenital. If those with acquired vision loss are willing to learn a foreign language and the conditions are suitable, their language learning can be effectively supported through the use of voice and Braille. Moreover, visually impaired individuals who migrate must have the opportunity to learn the language of their new country. For this reason, it is essential that they have the opportunity to learn foreign languages in Braille.
The development of the King Sejong Institute’s book ‘Basic Korean Language for the Visually Impaired’
Within the current context of Korean language education, visually impaired individuals who do not speak Korean as their first language are unlikely (in large numbers) to pursue Korean as a second language or a foreign language. Due to their visual impairments, the time and effort needed to master a new language is significantly extended, leading to little motivation to pursue language learning except in exceptional circumstances. Nevertheless, for those with disabilities, the right to language acquisition holds the same weight as the right to vote, and move around the community without barriers, for example, and it should be upheld.
The King Sejong Institute Foundation is a public institution that promotes and supports Korean language education and Korean culture beyond Korea’s borders. The purpose of its textbook for the visually impaired was quite straightforward. Korean law requires employers to have a certain percentage of disabled employees (approximately 3.1-3.8 percent), and public institutions are encouraged to raise awareness and support activities for the public good of disabled people. Of course, many businesses in Korea do not comply with this law and instead choose to pay a fee to the government rather than meeting their hiring requirements. The King Sejong Institute Foundation interpreted this legislative requirement as part of the Foundation’s social mission and as a contribution to society from the perspective of abled people. However, as multiple researchers, including myself undertook the task of developing the textbook, we wanted to go further than a simple law compliance exercise by eliminating barriers of the visually impaired as much as possible, meeting their expectations, and improving their quality of life.
We intended to expand the scope of Korean language learning for visually impaired learners and eliminate blind spots in education by developing customised educational materials that take into account their needs. But it was our first attempt and there was a lot of trial and error. We created a unit, then scrapped it and created a different one; we sought advice on making several adjustments to the font size and Braille placement, and even re-recorded the audio version of the textbook multiple times. Throughout the process, many experts in visual impairment, Korean language education, Braille publishing, and audio material production, collaborated, discussed, and resolved issues together.
The textbook is not a newly created textbook, but is an adaptation of three books from the King Sejong Institute’s Korean language series of grade-specific Korean: ‘Korean Language Introduction’, ‘Korean for Beginners 1, and ‘Korean for Beginners 2’. Instead of simply reconstructing the language textbook, a new syllabus was created to gradually teach students Korean Braille corresponding to Korean letters. Since the book included Braille, it was large and was divided into multiple volumes. It took nearly two years, from mid-2021 to early 2023, to create six beginner-level Korean Braille textbooks.
Before developing the textbook, the textbook development team, including myself, involved visually impaired individuals who were studying Korean as a second language in order to understand their experiences, difficulties, and educational needs. Using this information, we formulated eight principles for designing Korean textbooks for the visually impaired.
- It should not distort the level of Korean language proficiency. Requiring a lower level of language proficiency for the visually impaired compared to non-disabled people is another form of discrimination.
- All visual materials are assessed from the outset. In language-related tasks such as observing a scene, images need to be adapted to incorporate different senses.
- Manage the level of vocabulary exposure. Retain key vocabulary for each level, while actively minimising unnecessary examples and character names to avoid learning confusion.
- Braille and printed letters coexist in balance. Braille is printed with UV for increased durability, the font size should be enlarged and standardised for those with low vision. Colors are simplified for the color-blind.
- Korean Braille should be introduced gradually in a structured curriculum because learning it requires a lot of time and practice.
- Audiobooks should be created as educational tools. Instead of simply reading text, various voice actors take turns reading the text, providing appropriate perceptual information about spoken language.
- When developing these resources, the developers need to take into consideration that the book may be used for self-directed learning as a form of independent study, or under the guidance of a teacher. From this perspective, it shouldn’t include extra material which can be accessible only through the help of a teacher.
- Include tactile materials that help convey Korean cultural elements such as Hanok and Korean maps through UV printing, allowing for understanding the shape through touch.
The textbook covers a wide range of topics, such as Korean alphabets, self-introduction conversations, family introductions, daily life, hobbies, shopping, weather, ordering food, vacation planning, making appointments, discussing health conditions, and ordering deliveries. The objective is to advance in Korean language learning to the second level in the standard Korean language curriculum in Korea, with a tentative comparison to CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference) levels A1 and A2.1, despite the absence of empirical data. The initial two volumes of the textbook out of the six were translated into English Braille, which has been printed as a book but remains unreleased online. Despite the textbook being in circulation for over two years, we have not received any concrete instances of visually impaired individuals learning Korean or providing feedback on the textbook. Nevertheless, since the textbook was provided free of charge to various libraries and major organisations in Korea and abroad shortly after its release, we look for to hearing back about it from Korean learners, from people interested in Korean language, and from anybody who would like to provide comments on it.
The task left for us
The development of ‘Basic Korean Language for the Visually Impaired’ was extremely difficult and arduous. We dedicated significant time to finding ways to eliminate the various obstacles present in the original Korean textbook. However, despite our best efforts as researchers in Korean language education (including myself), special education, and textbook development, there are numerous lingering issues. The limitation of this textbook from the beginning was that it was created not from a voice seeking to find the rights of the visually impaired, but rather as a top-down request from a government public institution. Above all, the development process and evaluation of this textbook are very vague due to limited accessibility for potential users and lack of specific user feedback. Instead of searching for a grand and elaborate meaning, I prefer to discover a simple and straightforward significance in the idea of reflecting on ‘everyone’s right to learn Korean.’
There are still many stereotypes and prejudices present in Korean textbooks. The content found in Korean language textbooks still reflects narrow thinking, such as fixed gender roles, standardised beauty ideals, and limited career options. This makes us realise that we still have a long way to go in the direction of breaking down barriers, increasing accessibility, and embracing inclusiveness and diversity.
Throughout its history, the Korean language has seen numerous advancements that have made it more accessible to a wider audience. The creation of Hangul, the Korean alphabet, in the 15th century drastically changed the accessibility of information for the common people by allowing Korean to be written without using Chinese characters. Incidents such as the Gabo Reform in the late 19th century required official documents of the country to be written in Korean and Hangul, or Korean American politician Seo Jae-pil declaring in the first issue of the ‘Independent Newspaper’ that Hangul would be used ‘so that all people, high and low, can understand it together,’ reminds us of the sincerity in lowering barriers in the history of the Korean language. It is my wish that the development of the textbook for the visually impaired will serve as a small milestone in the era of diversity on which the Korean language and community are about to embark.
Image: Korean Braille guide. Credit: Used with permission from Nicola Fraschini.
Translator contact: jeehyun.ahn@uwa.edu.au.