In 2008 when The Disability Anti-discrimination Law, The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act were carried out , The Ministry of Education-Science & Technology evaluated 192 universities and colleges that have more than one disabled student about situation of Educational welfare support. The way to estimate was separated to 3 parts : special selection, the teaching&education, and accommodation&facility. The MEST(The Ministry of Education-Science & Technology) said that there are 20 universities that were chosen as The Very Best for handicapped students including both Dankook University campuses, Other 20 universities were evaluated as Excellent and 40 universities were evaluated as Not Bad and 112, the other, were chosen as Poor (need to be improved). This result encouraged students to get pride about Dankook University Because both campuses in Dankook University were evaluated as The Very Best for handicapped students. In this evaluation, An university that wants to be evaluated as 'The Very Best' should get more than 90 points out of 100. But average of the whole universities's score got only 59.74 points. How comfortable is Dankook University for handicapped students? If so, what makes Dankook University be selected as The Very Best?

Last march, 2, campus life in 2009 was started with new and lively mind. We could feel change and effort of campus because there are many placard from welcoming freshmen to sharing many achievements during the winter vacation. The most remarkable one of them is 'Selected As The Very Best Educational welfare Campus for Handicapped Students.' Now 40 disabled students including 38 in Jukjeon and 2 in Cheonan get in school. It is natural that our college was announced as The Very Best campus, if you can recognize the track for the handicapped next to stairs. So, look around and you can see that there are many installed facilities for the handicapped. we cannot help consenting that DKU is evaluated The Very Best for handicapped students. MEST mentioned "Dankook University Jukjeon Campus published a guide book that includes supporting ways of the teaching/education for handicapped students, and is operating I.T machines to warrant access-information right like parking lot, sanitation for them." But, handicapped students using these facilities do not agree with this result.

Junior, Dept. of Public Administration In Jukjeon Campus

Q: How do you think about that Dankook University was selected as The Very Best campus in the way of Educational welfare for handicapped students?

A: That is why University side reported what they had done for us and inspectors did not wander about campus. In other words, all of facilities in Jukjeon Campus is new. when it comes to facilities, So our university seems to be excellent compared with others' olds. We can take elevators in each college as a example. I still wonder this evaluation result but I agree that disabled students can feel comfortable with using elevator.

Q: What makes you uncomfortable inside of the campus?

A: There is no subtitle for us on lecture of e-learning. I feel uncomfortable taking classes through e-learning because we have a hearing problem. I think there is short of Braille type for the visually handicapped. all of buildings in campus also has no toilets for the handicapped.

Q: What does Dankook University need to improve for handicapped students?

A: The path to The Engineering Halls is composed of stairs. I think physically handicapped students feel uncomfortable because whenever they go to there, Because they need to helper's help. there are also several rough lands in Campus. insufficient cultural activities for handicapped persons are also problem. I think all of these come from students's shortage of cognizance. I hope DKU makes a various activities to improve recognition of students about the handicapped.

Like an interview above, disabled students who directly make use of welfare do not understand this announcement that our university is 'The Very Best'. Especially, many handicapped students in Jukjeon Campus indicate that steep uphill road is the hardest one. How hard it is to the handicapped!

Even normal students walk to uphill road with having difficulty in breathing. In case of Jukjeon campus, the welfare and facilities for the handicapped are good compared with Cheonan campus'. Because Cheonan Campus was built long time ago, that is why even normal students feel uneasy. So, Cheonan Campus's facilities and welfare cannot give any help to understand why Dankook University won 'The Very Best'.

Each college in Cheonan campus including Liberal Art and Science Hall, we cannot find out any method that disabled students can go to fifth floor to take a class. In Yulgok Memorial Hall, there is an elevator for disabled students because the elevator is on the second floor. So, we cannot look for the elevator on the first floor to go up to the upper floor. There are only stairs that do not care about the handicapped. So do toilets that were built in each college and Students Hall. Also, Braille type is not enough for blind students. there are some Braille types on the handle of stairs. we could not see that last year. Maybe, it is because of evaluation by MEST. It is such as hurried installed.

What about the condition of other The Very Best universities? Let's go to Daegu University that has won the very best campus for last three years. Daegu Univ. initially installed Disabled Student Service Center for support of teaching, education and welfare, Daegu University has strengthened one-stop service for the handicapped since 2000.

And it developed electronic book and voice book for their education right and has used them. it has supported ordered teaching & learning through Library for the Blind and Teaching & Learning Service Center too. Daegu Univ. has managed ordered program of experiencing disabled students to make unbiased university and society. it has run The Film Festival for hearing-impaired persons, program of studying abroad for the handicapped, Employment Camp for the handicapped, ect. Besides, Daegu Univ. has offered low floor bus and lift car for their diverse activities. All of these is to minimize the inconvenience of the handicapped.

And it developed electronic book and voice book for their education right and has used them. it has supported ordered teaching & learning through Library for the Blind and Teaching & Learning Service Center too. Daegu Univ. has managed ordered program of experiencing disabled students to make unbiased university and society. it has run The Film Festival for hearing-impaired persons, program of studying abroad for the handicapped, Employment Camp for the handicapped, ect. Besides, Daegu Univ. has offered low floor bus and lift car for their diverse activities. All of these is to minimize the inconvenience of the handicapped.

Actually, there are many universities that have to be ashamed of themselves for their reality except some colleges like Daegu Univ. from the fact that 112 universities out of 192 is poor, we can infer that our reality of the handicapped welfare is not good.

  According to graph above, evaluation result shows light development compared with result in 2005. But

the result of 2008 cannot satisfy. What they(the handicapped) demand is not unlimitedly comfortable

university but university that correctly recognizes the needs of them, and then properly supports them in

the original resources. The typical demands are to arrange professional workers and system of helper to

solve the problems that the handicapped are facing with. We hope all of universities in korea including

Dankook University appreciate the handicapped as a student before thinking them as the disabled and

reflect their claims well and finally be developed as a big university that achieves well-being of everyone.