SNU SOCIETY
Another view, another inconvenience
In 2022, a grass field was newly built in the heart of Seoul National University’s Gwanak Campus. As it provided space for the school’s shuttle bus stop, the free shuttle system started to operate more systematically. This benefited many SNU students, but unfortunately, the disabled were not granted the same convenience. This is not the only problem they face regarding mobility. This article addresses the human rights issues that disabled students experience daily at SNU.
On the way to school, students with wheelchairs have two options: to take the low-floor bus such as 5516, or to take a taxi. As of 2022, 70 percent of Seoul’s city buses are low-floor buses, according to government policy. Low-floor buses now operate on campus on routes 5516, 5511, and 5513; however, the introduction of these buses is the result of a constant struggle between bus companies that operate on campus and TurnToAble, SNU’s student club advocating for disabled students’ rights. The conflict regarding low-floor buses unfolded in 2015, when these buses suddenly disappeared from campus due to speed bumps. Since low-floor buses are designed with a low body to increase accessibility for wheelchair users, they are very sensitive to road conditions. If there are speed bumps on the road, the lower parts of the buses continue to break down as they collide with the bumps. This was why Hannam Transportation, the bus company that runs the 5516 routes, stopped operating low-floor buses. According to Hannam Transportation, the repetitive impact to the bus floors resulted in continuous breakdowns of the low-floor buses, which incurred major losses worth tens of millions of won for the company. With the disappearance of low-floor buses, wheelchair users suffered great inconveniences. The school initially concluded that it was acceptable to not operate low-floor buses, as SNU already had a shuttle bus for students with disabilities. However, according to various interviews done at the Seoul National University Human Rights Forum last February, disabled students pointed out that the shuttle bus alone does not sufficiently guarantee their right to move. Since there is only one such shuttle bus for disabled students, applications are accepted at the beginning of the semester. The shuttle operates according to a set schedule and stops circulating after 6 p.m., which is not long enough for many students to get home.
As a result of the students’ consistent complaints, the school did not increase the shuttle bus for disabled students, but required low-floor 5516 buses to operate once again. However, despite this long fight to make low-floor buses available on campus, students using wheelchairs are still unable to take the bus during rush hour, when even students without wheelchairs need to cram themselves into a fully packed bus. It is quite common to see a long line during peak hours at the bus stop near the SNU metro station, and with the buses already jam-packed upon arrival, only three or four more people barely make their way in. Therefore, wheelchair users have no other alternative but to take a taxi to reach the campus.
Then, what about the free school shuttle bus? Those who have used the school shuttle bus at least once could relate to why wheelchair users cannot make use of it. To board the bus, individuals must climb two steep stairs which are immovable and high, even for non-wheelchair users. The school shuttles are severely limited in terms of accessibility, as they are not equipped with the necessary accommodations for wheelchairs, such as ramps. SNU continues to use these types of buses because the shuttle program is outsourced to a private company. Unlike city bus companies, the private bus company does not offer low-floor buses. On a broader scale, what is more serious is that almost no Korean tour bus charter companies have low-floor buses. In other words, outsourcing shuttle buses is a major factor that contributes to the restriction of mobility rights. The SNU free school shuttle service, intended to help students reach certain on-campus destinations without having to pay in order to help them financially and enhance overall welfare, is actually not of any benefit to those with physical disabilities.
After reaching campus by taxi, students can use the mobile application SNU Map, which provides information on barrier-free routes where wheelchairs can go. Even though shortcuts are not provided, the map helps students find travelable paths inside the campus using slopes. However, this convenience does not extend to some buildings. Due to SNU’s landscape, there are classrooms between two floors that elevators cannot reach. For example, in Building 8 at the College of Humanities, there are numerous doors on nearly all sides of the building leading not only to floors one or two, but also to “floor 1.5.” So, for the disabled students, getting to the 1.5 floor means having to find a side door that connects to that floor as they cannot get there by using the doors leading to fixed floors like one and two. The issue often continues inside the classroom. While there are desks that are high enough for the wheelchair to get in, they are always located at the front of the classroom, right in front of the professor. They’ve had a long journey all the way to the class but the stairs inside the building and the limited height of the desks do not allow the students to freely choose their seats in class. Going back home, the students with moving difficulties face the same problem they faced in the morning rush hours: still no room in low-floor buses and no way to use the free school bus. So, they choose to take a taxi, because despite its burdensome cost, there is no other way.
Despite the school's ongoing efforts to create a barrier-free campus, it is apparent that mobility rights for the disabled students are -not being upheld to the fullest. As SNU tries to transform its campus into a barrier-free and inclusive community, practical feedback is needed. The low-floor buses on campus, a service that should be readily provided, was only implemented after efforts in 2016. The students as a whole must reflect to see if we have been assigning too much burden to on-campus disability organizations. The role of student disability organizations should be to present and propose views that nondisabled students cannot recognize, not solving the whole problem and hosting the process. Therefore, SNU must find ways to induce more students into the field of public opinion, one such example being a discussion that was recently held on campus titled, “Looking at the world through the eyes of a disabled person: Rights for people with disabilities in universities, current status and ways to improve.” As more and more technological developments continue on campus, we must make sure that all members of SNU are enjoying the welfare equally. SNU should seek ways to bring more students’ attention to this mobility problem, and to take joint actions with student organizations, such as working in tandem with TurnToAble, to make sure change actually happens on campus.
On the way to school, students with wheelchairs have two options: to take the low-floor bus such as 5516, or to take a taxi. As of 2022, 70 percent of Seoul’s city buses are low-floor buses, according to government policy. Low-floor buses now operate on campus on routes 5516, 5511, and 5513; however, the introduction of these buses is the result of a constant struggle between bus companies that operate on campus and TurnToAble, SNU’s student club advocating for disabled students’ rights. The conflict regarding low-floor buses unfolded in 2015, when these buses suddenly disappeared from campus due to speed bumps. Since low-floor buses are designed with a low body to increase accessibility for wheelchair users, they are very sensitive to road conditions. If there are speed bumps on the road, the lower parts of the buses continue to break down as they collide with the bumps. This was why Hannam Transportation, the bus company that runs the 5516 routes, stopped operating low-floor buses. According to Hannam Transportation, the repetitive impact to the bus floors resulted in continuous breakdowns of the low-floor buses, which incurred major losses worth tens of millions of won for the company. With the disappearance of low-floor buses, wheelchair users suffered great inconveniences. The school initially concluded that it was acceptable to not operate low-floor buses, as SNU already had a shuttle bus for students with disabilities. However, according to various interviews done at the Seoul National University Human Rights Forum last February, disabled students pointed out that the shuttle bus alone does not sufficiently guarantee their right to move. Since there is only one such shuttle bus for disabled students, applications are accepted at the beginning of the semester. The shuttle operates according to a set schedule and stops circulating after 6 p.m., which is not long enough for many students to get home.
As a result of the students’ consistent complaints, the school did not increase the shuttle bus for disabled students, but required low-floor 5516 buses to operate once again. However, despite this long fight to make low-floor buses available on campus, students using wheelchairs are still unable to take the bus during rush hour, when even students without wheelchairs need to cram themselves into a fully packed bus. It is quite common to see a long line during peak hours at the bus stop near the SNU metro station, and with the buses already jam-packed upon arrival, only three or four more people barely make their way in. Therefore, wheelchair users have no other alternative but to take a taxi to reach the campus.
Then, what about the free school shuttle bus? Those who have used the school shuttle bus at least once could relate to why wheelchair users cannot make use of it. To board the bus, individuals must climb two steep stairs which are immovable and high, even for non-wheelchair users. The school shuttles are severely limited in terms of accessibility, as they are not equipped with the necessary accommodations for wheelchairs, such as ramps. SNU continues to use these types of buses because the shuttle program is outsourced to a private company. Unlike city bus companies, the private bus company does not offer low-floor buses. On a broader scale, what is more serious is that almost no Korean tour bus charter companies have low-floor buses. In other words, outsourcing shuttle buses is a major factor that contributes to the restriction of mobility rights. The SNU free school shuttle service, intended to help students reach certain on-campus destinations without having to pay in order to help them financially and enhance overall welfare, is actually not of any benefit to those with physical disabilities.
After reaching campus by taxi, students can use the mobile application SNU Map, which provides information on barrier-free routes where wheelchairs can go. Even though shortcuts are not provided, the map helps students find travelable paths inside the campus using slopes. However, this convenience does not extend to some buildings. Due to SNU’s landscape, there are classrooms between two floors that elevators cannot reach. For example, in Building 8 at the College of Humanities, there are numerous doors on nearly all sides of the building leading not only to floors one or two, but also to “floor 1.5.” So, for the disabled students, getting to the 1.5 floor means having to find a side door that connects to that floor as they cannot get there by using the doors leading to fixed floors like one and two. The issue often continues inside the classroom. While there are desks that are high enough for the wheelchair to get in, they are always located at the front of the classroom, right in front of the professor. They’ve had a long journey all the way to the class but the stairs inside the building and the limited height of the desks do not allow the students to freely choose their seats in class. Going back home, the students with moving difficulties face the same problem they faced in the morning rush hours: still no room in low-floor buses and no way to use the free school bus. So, they choose to take a taxi, because despite its burdensome cost, there is no other way.
Despite the school's ongoing efforts to create a barrier-free campus, it is apparent that mobility rights for the disabled students are -not being upheld to the fullest. As SNU tries to transform its campus into a barrier-free and inclusive community, practical feedback is needed. The low-floor buses on campus, a service that should be readily provided, was only implemented after efforts in 2016. The students as a whole must reflect to see if we have been assigning too much burden to on-campus disability organizations. The role of student disability organizations should be to present and propose views that nondisabled students cannot recognize, not solving the whole problem and hosting the process. Therefore, SNU must find ways to induce more students into the field of public opinion, one such example being a discussion that was recently held on campus titled, “Looking at the world through the eyes of a disabled person: Rights for people with disabilities in universities, current status and ways to improve.” As more and more technological developments continue on campus, we must make sure that all members of SNU are enjoying the welfare equally. SNU should seek ways to bring more students’ attention to this mobility problem, and to take joint actions with student organizations, such as working in tandem with TurnToAble, to make sure change actually happens on campus.
