Not long after being named director general of the Korea Institute of Special Education (KISE), Yong-Wook Kim ’95PhD and his staff conceived the idea for a sit com. If people with disabilities were to be included in their communities in a meaningful way, attitudes had to change. Millions of households could be reached with a public awareness campaign that dramatized with famous actors the stereotypes and barriers that exclude.

Since the founding of his agency in 1994, the national government has increased its support for research, teacher training and family support services, but more work needed to be done.

The birth of a baby with cerebral palsy or some other visible disability may be viewed as a family disgrace to be concealed from society. The child may be loved, but neglected educationally and socially. Although mainstreaming is on the rise, 80 percent of children with disabilities still attend private residential schools for the deaf, blind and “mentally retarded,” a term no longer in use in the United States.

There is no law that guarantees access to buildings. The cost of workplace accommodations limits job opportunities, and some employers are reluctant to hire because they equate physical disability with mental impairment. For those who have been shut out of the job market, sheltered workshops provide skills in a humane environment and assembly-line jobs stuffing envelopes and other simple, repetitive tasks. Higher-functioning adults sew zippers onto jackets or monitor machines at knitting factories.

Kim brought impressive credentials to the task: a USU doctoral degree in special education and rehabilitation, research experience at the university’s Center for Persons with Disabilities (CPD), and nearly a decade of research and teaching at South Korea’s DaeGu University. His USU education and contacts enabled him to learn from American achievements and mistakes. His Korean upbringing and teaching attuned him to the nuances of his culture.

His appointment in November of 2003 was for three years. To advance his public awareness and policy agenda, he put in 18-hour days with little time off and traveled the country, giving lectures and leading discussion groups. He started an international journal and helped organize conferences throughout the region that disseminated the latest findings and most effective practices in special education and assistive technologies. He successfully advocated for free pre-school education to maximize the critical developmental years and for post-high-school education to ease the transition to employment. Training and course materials for teachers and their aides became a high priority, and families participated in the educational process and decision making.

“If it weren’t for his sensible approach and his knowledge of the culture, kids wouldn’t be getting the services they are,” says USU colleague and associate CPD director Cyndi Rowland.

“He is very forward thinking. He wants to be inclusive across the life span,” says another USU colleague, assistant CPD director for policy development Marty Blair.

When Kim stepped down from the directorship in November 2006, in attendance at the recognition dinner were Rowland, Bair and mentor Mark Innocenti, who supervised some of his research at the CPD. The trio had flown to Korea at Kim’s invitation to present papers at one of the international conferences hosted by KISE.

On their last day in Korea, they toured the local version of a super Wal-Mart store. The three-story building had automatic doors, ramps on escalators and handrails in bathrooms, and four people in wheelchairs were spotted shopping or serving customers.

“He achieved more in three years than most people in this field are able to accomplish over an entire career,” says Rowland.

As his retirement date approached, officials at DaeGu University asked him to head his former special education department. He declined the offer, saying he preferred to teach. Now that he had a thorough understanding of the needs of Koreans with disabilities, he thought he should focus on preparing the childcare workers and teachers, whose services are in greater demand than ever thanks to his three years as director general. -Jane Koerner