On May 7, in room 218 of Queen Sunheon Building, a special lecture entitled 'Project to Support Service for Disabled people in Library and Information science’ was held. It was hosted by the Department of Library & Information science at Sookmyung Women's University. Eom Hyun-hee, instructor and head of the ‘Siloam Center for the Blind’ talked for 1 and half hour on the topic. The lecture was attended largely by students hoping to work in public library-related areas in the future. The lecture’s objective is to inform the audience about blind services that future librarians should master and how to build the knowledge-base for the disabled by incorporating alternative material. After learning about definitions and types of visual impairment, full-scale alternative material service training began. Upon training completion, students learned about Braille firsthand with educational kits and manuals. Students were also given the chance to browse alternative materials and books specifically designed for the blind and to write brief sentences using Braille writing instruments. The lecturer repeatedly emphasized that the blind or visually impaired have difficulty accessing information and data, which causes the right to information inequality. The lecturer stressed the importance of equal coexistence among all peoples. Park Joonhee, Department of Library & Information science 16, said, “This lecture made me think a lot about underprivileged people in society, those that have different starting places in life like the blind. It was more than learning just basic knowledge.” Commenting on the Braille writing experience, she said, “I cannot imagine writing in Braille without the use of my eyes. I found it much more difficult than I previously imagined. I realized how necessary it is to make society equal by working for all society members including the disabled." The lecture was a meaningful opportunity to think about handicapped people and what Sookmyungians should do for them in a different position.
