Visually Impaired Student Jin-young Kim Honored

 

-Achieved Perfect GPA during Spring Semester

 

 

 

On November 11, Yonsei Sociology student Jin-young Kim received highest honors at the 2016 Spring Semester Highest Honors Award Ceremony for his perfect grade point average during the spring semester. Kim’s remarkable academic achievement comes despite the fact that he lost his eyesight in the fourth grade due to retinal detachment. Today, he can barely detect light.

 

Kim considers himself to be “lucky,” but his condition causes some unique learning challenges. Most crucially, he needs to procure textbooks written in braille or in audio form, which requires the help of volunteers to type out the required readings or read them aloud in a recording. Kim explained: “If the semester starts in September, the rule is that course syllabi must be uploaded by late July, but in practice most of the syllabi are uploaded in late August or early September. In such cases, the textbooks cannot be prepared in advance, so there are occasionally instances in which the text is ready just a week before midterm exams. But I am able to follow the lectures without much difficulty thanks to the Yonsei Center for Students with Disabilities (CSD). ”

 

Kim frequently expresses his gratitude for the center, which matches students with disabilities with student volunteers who provide assistance for each course. Volunteers aid the students in getting around campus and taking notes, while providing a number of other important services.

 

 

 

After finishing his education, Kim wishes to do work dedicated to advancing human rights for the disabled. He has been a member of Guernica, a student club focused on ensuring the rights of disabled students in higher education and improving their educational environment. He has also served as a guide for “Dialogue in the Dark,” an event that allows participants to experience what it is like to be blind.

 

“Having a handicap means that there are times when you require help or support in your daily life,” Kim explained. “However, there are times when situations demanding extra consideration are ignored due to principles held by individuals or groups. In such instances, the only solution left is to resort to legal means. Upon graduating, I wish to enter law school to study human rights law so I can lend a helping hand in creating an improved environment for handicapped students like me.”