We are 6 mothers and have children with development disabilities who all have each different characteristic. These kids are faced with difficulties of living with non-disabled people which is a whole different world to them, and their mothers are trying to take care of their children until they die which puts a lot of pressure and great sense of responsibility. This time, all of them who are living so hard were gathered to go on a train trip.
[ The participants of “Train Travel Story! Rail Dream” supported by Korail and HUMAN IN LOVE went to Pyeongchang and Gangneung (Jun 12 2018) ]
My relatives and friends can’t understand
Living with children who have development disabilities is not like what you see from the outside. People say it must be very hard for me to live with my kid and this makes me feel very sad and keep distance from them.
However, I don’t have to explain to those who have similar kids when my kid did something because we all know what it is like to have kids like them. So I feel comfortable. Parents who have kids with development disabilities don’t judge their kids. They just accept their children just as they are.
[ Mom and her daughter are posing on a fir tree path at Woljeongsa Temple in Odaesan ]
Until my kid’s life, not my life, is gone
If parents have children with development disabilities, they would all have same fear and worries about not being able to take care of their children until they die. If I turn 80, my children will turn 50 and they have to live 10 to 30 years without me. They need help for everything like washing their face, going to toilet and wearing a cloth, but no one would help them like me.
If they go to a facility, there is no way to know what’s really happening there because they can’t explain. Korea doesn’t have a good support system for people with development disabilities who live alone. They are highly likely to be abused while living alone after their parents pass away.
[ Seongok Lee is soaking her feet with her daughter who likes moving water at Anmok Beach in the East Sea ]
We are dreaming of a world where people with development disabilities can be respected for just who they are
From April 3 which is World Autism Awareness Day to June 8, the parents of children with development disabilities had launched a petition all day in front of the Blue House for 68 consecutive days. They did it because they wanted to build a society where people with development disabilities can be respected as a human being and live with others in harmony.
Finally, on June 8, they reached an agreement with the government on “a nation’s responsibility for people with development disabilities”. From now on, we are going to do whatever it takes as parents to make sure such system can produce meaningful outcome in real life and children with disabilities can live a decent life even when they are living alone.
[ Mothers of children with development disabilities are united. These kids are faced with difficulties of living with non-disabled people which is a whole different world to them, and their mothers are trying to take care of their children until they die which puts a lot of pressure and great sense of responsibility. However, all of them are living so hard with sincere heart. ]
Going on a trip is rejuvenating and refreshing
When you have a child with development disabilities, it’s very hard to think about doing something or going on a trip with him/her. But this time, we decide to apply for this program, encouraging with each other to make good memoires with our kids.
It was first time for me to take a train with my kid. I was worried about my kid getting unwanted attention, but since I was with other moms and their kids and we took care of each other, I felt much more comfortable.
[ “Train Travel Story! Rail Dream” participants visited Woljeongsa Temple in Odaesan ]
Quite sometimes, I feel like it’s very stressful to take care of my kid. Not being able to communicate with my kid frustrates me a lot and makes me very touchy. But the train trip was refreshing, so now I get less angry at my kid and I can tell my kid feels good.
Wherever we went, the view was so nice. We took a lot of photos and videos. Moms changed their smartphone main screen with the photos of their kids taken that day. We appreciate Korail and HUMAN IN LOVE for giving us such a wonderful opportunity.
[ “Train Travel Story! Rail Dream” participants (mom and her son) took at photo at Haneul Farm (left) and Anmok Beach (right) ]
HUMAN IN LOVE supports people with disabilities
For low-income families with children who have development disabilities, HUMAN IN LOVE has provided financial support so that they can get emergency medical treatment or can make a living. HIL has also supported people with disabilities to enjoy cultural and athletic activities, and provided rice and side dishes for blinded people living alone to make sure that they can lead an independent life.
About “Train Travel Story! Rail Dream” supported by Korail and HUMAN IN LOVE
Train trip is our present for the disabled, multicultural families, low-income families and activists, volunteers and special education school teachers who work hard under the harsh working environment.
We chose 131 people in the first half of 2018, and you can visit our website (www.hil.or.kr) in October and apply for the “Rail Dream” program in the second half of 2018.
