The NHRC Interviewed Handicapped Women from Institutions of Higher Education
The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Asian Center for Women"s Studies of Ewha Woman"s University (the Asian Center) co-conducted case studies about double discrimination-against females who are handicapped-from October 2002 to January 2003. This is the first research which has confirmed the discriminatory experiences of highly educated disabled women in Korea.
The subjects of these in-depth interviews were 28 female handicapped who had either already graduated from universities or are currently attending schools. The focus of the research was as follows: female handicapped" reactions against discriminatory acts and their sensitivity to the situation of handicapped women; discriminatory experiences (before entering the university, at the screening test for entering the school, from the circumstances at the university, while taking classes at the school, the extent of support given to handicapped women by university-run employment service offices, sexual harassment and sexual violence at the university); law and policy related to handicapped women.
The characteristics of discrimination which the handicapped women had experienced in the university are as follows:
1. Handicapped women have not received sufficient support for developing their education, because family members, teachers and professors have not expected they would ever achieve much. Some professors had violated the right to learn of handicapped women, for instances: by avoiding to calling upon handicapped women in class, by urging them to be absent, by giving the same marks to all handicapped women, and by recommending them for jobs. Even family members have encouraged handicapped women to pursue only vocational training rather than higher education.
2. Handicapped women have often been ignored by other people and they have often been victims for sexual violence because they were generally characterized as asexual beings. For example, in the case of bathrooms for handicapped women, the sign is for both sexes. Even some bathrooms for handicapped women have been installed inside men"s bathrooms. Moreover, school staff and co-workers have tried to touch physically handicapped women under the pretense of helping them.
3. The special requests from female handicapped have not been met. Female handicapped can not utilize the facilities, because the facilities in the resting places in the university are installed just for non-handicapped. In the case of vending machine for sanitary napkins, handicapped women in wheelchairs can usually not reach the slot for coins. Like this, there are facilities for just women; however, handicapped women are excluded.
4. Even though there are movements and activities for the handicapped, these efforts have focused on handicapped men. Since requests from female handicapped have been a minority, such requests are easily ignored. For example, bathrooms for handicapped are installed regardless of sexes, and there have been no measures to prevent sexual violence against handicapped women.
5. Female handicapped have experienced discriminatory acts even among handicapped groups. For instance, only handicapped men have occupied leading positions in the groups which consists of the handicapped; female handicapped should do chores in the group; even handicapped men have said discriminatory words to handicapped women.
6. Female handicapped are more vulnerable to sexual violence because they lack the ability to defend themselves.
7. Female handicapped need help from other people, and so dependent situation of female handicapped put an extra burden upon them.
