User:Macygalante/Disability in North Korea

Deafness in North Korea
As stated above, information about the Deaf Experience for North Korean citizens is hard to find. There is also a culture of families “hiding” their disabled children from the public lens, so the information that is available may not be accurate for every Deaf resident. Because of this fear of making disabilities known, there is not much education about hearing disabilities given to N. Korean citizens who are Deaf or hard of hearing. This makes it difficult for Deaf children to be properly educated and integrated into society.

For families who do disclose their child’s Deafness, there are many schools for the Deaf in North Korea. The schools began being created in the 1940’s, and by 1995 there were 8 special schools for the Deaf. These schools provide education in Korean sign language, which was recognized as a language by the Korean government in 2003. These schools provide only 10 years of schooling, and prepare their students for very specific careers, such as being a barber or a seamstress. Because of the lack of diverse job training, job integration for the Deaf is scarce.

In 2003, a German man named Robert Grund came to North Korea as a representation of the World Federation of the Deaf. His goals when coming to North Korea were to empower more Deaf individuals, create more Deaf schools, and teach Korean Sign Language to more interpreters. One of the main things Grund is known for is creating the first Deaf kindergarten in PyongYang. His slogan is “nothing about us, without us”, meaning that Deaf citizens of North Korea deserve to have a say in policies made for people with disabilities.

In 2014, North Korea debuted their all Deaf soccer team. They played their first out of country game in Australia. The players are between the ages of 15 and 25 and communicate with their coach using sign language and flags. There is a lot of controversy regarding whether this is a sign that North Korea treats their Deaf citizens well, or not. The soccer team could be a ploy to get other countries to think that they treat their Deaf citizens well.