Marking Disability Employment Awareness Month at the Library are, from left, Gilbert Sandate, director of the Office of Workforce Diversity; Woon Hyoun, statistician in the Office of Workforce Diversity; keynote speaker Young Woo Kang, National Council on Disability; Mrs. Kang; and Saul Schniderman, president, AFSCME Local 2910. - Francisco Apodaca
Americans with disabilities have made progress in securing legal protections for their rights, but they still are underrepresented in the workplace, according to the keynote speaker for the Library's Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Young Woo Kang, who spoke at the Library on Oct. 11, said that one out of every five people in the United States over the age of 5 is disabled in some way, according to U.S. Census Bureau information. Three out of every four disabled individuals are not employed— a condition that Kang and his colleagues on the National Council on Disability (NCD) have been working hard to remedy. A presidential appointee to the NCD, Kang is part of a consortium that is responsible for developing policies and making recommendations to the president regarding America's disabled population. Recently, the group celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
"During the last 15 years we have accomplished lots," said Kang. "People with disabilities are legally protected. There has been progress made in telecommunications for the deaf and assistive technology for the blind and mobility-impaired, and improvements in the field of housing and transportation have been made.
"Generally speaking, more disabled are included and integrated into every aspect" of American life, he continued.
However, those with disabilities need more employment opportunities and a more supportive work environment, Kang said. He believes advances can me made by improving employee attitudes toward the disabled as well as by cultivating positive attitudes and leadership qualities among the younger disabled workforce.
The "Paradoxical Commandments of Leadership" by Kent Keith is an effective tool to accomplish this goal, Kang said. Keith's advice includes "The good you do today will be forgotten tomorrow; do good anyway" and "Give the world the best you have and you will get kicked in the teeth; give the best you have anyway."
"When I was a teenager and became blind, I didn't see any possibility of getting a job because, in Korea, there was a real negative attitude in society," Kang said. "Also, disabled people had poor self esteem. I saw my blindness as a punishment from God."
Kang said he changed his attitude and adapted to his condition. "The Apostle Paul had disabilities. I saw that disabilities could happen to anybody, even good people, at any time. Since then, I don't consider my blindness as a handicap."
Kang suggested using retirees as role models to help new workers become incorporated into the workforce. Also, he said, "values" such as faith, self-determination, persistence and compassion need to be taught to all employees.
On hand for the lecture were members of the legislative attaché of the Embassy of the Republic of Korea and members of the local disabled community, as well as representatives from the four Library labor organizations that contributed to the Multi-Year Affirmative Employment Program Plan.
In his opening remarks, Kang conveyed his appreciation to the Library for adopting his books, "Light in My Heart" and "My Disability, God's Ability: 7 Principles for a Triumph [sic] Life," for the talking book outreach program of the National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped.
Blinded by a sports injury in middle school, Kang became the first visually impaired student admitted to Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea. After graduating with honors, he became a Rotary Foundation Scholar at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, as well as the first blind Korean to earn both a master's degree and a doctorate. Before joining NCD, he served as the dean of South Korea's Taegu University before becoming supervisor of special education in Indiana. He is an adjunct professor at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago.
