Blind man takes next step in legal career

Korea`s first visually impaired person to pass the bar exam will join the Judicial Research and Training Institute this March after a year`s preparation.

Choi Young, a graduate of the College of Law at Seoul National University, was among the 1,005 people who made it through the final stage of the 50th bar exam in 2008.

Instead of joining the institute right away, like most other successful examinees, Choi decided to take some time to ready himself for the upcoming studies.



While studying for the bar, Choi largely relied on the "sense reader" program, which converts text into a sound file. He thus needed help from voluntary supporters who would help him move from place to place and to type entire books into texts.

Over the past year, Choi mainly focused on using public transportation without help and improving his listening speed.

The JRTI has also readied itself to welcome the pioneer would-be lawyer with an exclusive dormitory, sound-converting programs and other facilities such as Braille printers, according to officials.

Choi, classified as severely handicapped, suffered from a retinal disease in high school and was unable to differentiate objects. Though able to see in his early university years, his condition was suddenly aggravated in 2005, making it impossible for him to see anything.

The Justice Ministry introduced the Braille version of the bar exam in 1998. In 2006, the exam prototype was revised in favor of the visually impaired. Choi became the first beneficiary of these changes.

(tellme@heraldm.com)





By Bae Hyun-jung