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‘Happily Ever After Team’ creates children's books for children and teens with developmental disabilities

Storybooks displayed in the Barrier-Free Children's Book Curation Corner of the Gwanak Library
Storybooks displayed in the Barrier-Free Children's Book Curation Corner of the Gwanak Library

The Seoul National University Social Responsibility (SNUSR) (Chair Yeo Myoung-Souk) announced that five storybooks produced by the SNUSR Corps team "Happily Ever After" were donated to nine public libraries in Gwanak-gu in January this year, and were also displayed in the Barrier-Free Children's Book Curation Corner of the Gwanak Library. These books were produced at the Gwanak-gu General Disability Welfare Center in 2021, in collaboration with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities.

The 'Happily Ever After' team is a SNUSR Corps team that was created by students who share and seek to resolve the problem of marginalization of children with disabilities. The aim of the team was to produce a storybook with a disabled child as the main character.

The storybook production activities were organized through conversations with children and adolescents with developmental disabilities. The team was divided into five groups, each consisting of three or four members and one child with a disability. They discussed the children's interests and dreams, learned about their preferred genres and favorite places, animals, and colors, and then designed the story outline. Finally, the team members and the participating child collaborated in editing, illustrating and completing the five storybooks, holding the content and characters they had envisioned together.

The donated books, "Hello Shubaba," "Hanui in the Desert," "Invitation to My Universe," "Apples and Rainbows," and "Pink Sea," will be placed in public libraries so that more children can read them. As was the intention of this project, the donation is expected to provide a foundation for both disabled and non-disabled children to express their unlimited imagination.

Storybooks produced by “Happily Ever After” project.
Storybooks produced by “Happily Ever After” project.

The books are registered at nine public libraries in Gwanak-gu and can be borrowed by anyone that might be interested. (Gwanak Library, Geulbit Information Library, Seonghyeon-dong Small Library, Euncheon-dong Small Library, Jowon Library, Dragon Dreaming Small Library, Nakseongdae Park Library, Book and Play Library, Gomapseumnida Hanangok Small Library)

Since its establishment in February 2013, the SNUSR has been a hub organization in charge of social contribution within the university, providing education on social contribution and domestic and international social contribution practices based on social responsibility and innovative expertise. For more information about the SNUSR Corps, please contact the Global Social Service Center (880-2253) or visit the SNUSR website (https://snusr.snu.ac.kr/en).

Translated by
Seulki Yeo (Department of Russian Language and Literature)