[Journalism Internship] Dramas raise awareness about people with disabilities, but the struggle is far from over

The public interest in people with disabilities has been on the rise due to the hit drama series “Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” which is currently airing on cable channel ENA and streaming platform Netflix.

“Extraordinary Attorney Woo,” which began airing on June 29, depicts the life of a genius lawyer named Woo Young-woo with autism spectrum disorder. The series illustrates diverse traits of autism spectrum disorder, and demonstrates how an autistic person functions as a member of society.
In 2013, “Good Doctor” on KBS was one of the first drama series in Korea that featured a person with autism spectrum disorder as the main character. Another hit drama series “Our Blues” on tvN featured a character with disabilities who becomes a great painter.

However, as much as such shows are loved, they are not without criticism. For example, one of the criticisms about "Extraordinary Attorney Woo" was whether such a genius lawyer with autism is possible in real life. Some questioned whether the character being a savant is even plausible.
The increasing depiction of people with disabilities in media has triggered those with disabilities to use YouTube as a channel to share their real lives.
One Shot Han Sol, a YouTuber who is blind, talks about the difficulties he faces in day-to-day life. Over 360,000 people subscribe to his channel.
The efforts by the media and people with disabilities seem to be having an effect.
The construction of Seojin School, a school for students with developmental disabilities, in Gayang-dong, Gangseo District, western Seoul, was fiercely opposed by residents of the area. In 2017, when local residents’ opposition to the establishment of the school reached its peak, mothers of the children with disabilities knelt down in front of the planned construction site for the school and begged for their children to have the basic right to education. In 2020, the school finally opened its doors, marking the first time in 17 years that a school for students with disabilities has been built in Seoul.

Scene from SBS’s “Good Doctor,” tvN’s “Our Blues” and ENA’s “Extraordinary Attorney Woo” [KBS, TVN, ENA]

Professor Kwon Mee-young of the Psychology Department at the University of Utah Asia Campus, said, "I believe that disabled and non-disabled people will be able to understand each other if they really make an effort to sympathize and be in each others shoes. Study about it and acknowledge them as human beings who deserve every right.”

BY JIHYUN PARK, TAE-EUN KO, DAWON RYOU, TAERIM LEE [elizabeth011011@gmail.com, taeeun7701@gmail.com, ryoudawon1232@gmail.com, u1357464@utah.edu]