Braille textbooks for students with visual impairments to be distributed on time

[Financial News] A system designed to ensure that students with disabilities, including students with visual impairments, and teachers with disabilities receive Braille textbooks and other materials on time before the start of the school term will take effect on the 29th. Publishers and others that produce textbooks must submit digital files that can be readily converted into Braille or audio within 30 days of receiving a request from the Ministry of Education.
The Ministry of Education announced that a revision to the Regulations on Textbooks, which sets out detailed standards for the system, passed a Cabinet meeting on the 20th.
However, files do not have to be submitted when there is a legitimate reason. Such reasons include cases in which a file has been damaged or deleted due to hacking or a computer virus, cases in which litigation concerning the file is ongoing, and other comparable reasons recognized by the Minister of Education.
This revision is an enforcement decree that sets out detailed rules for applying the law. It contains provisions delegated under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act, which was amended on April 28 and will take effect on the 29th. The legal basis for requesting files from publishers and the 30-day deadline were already set out in the law, while the enforcement decree specifies the file format, submission procedures and exceptions. The decree will also take effect on the same day.
Under the revision, files submitted by publishers and others must match the standard textbooks from cover to copyright page and be in a format that can be readily converted into Braille or audio. The files must be submitted through a system designated by the Minister of Education.
Previously, the National Assembly and the Anti-Corruption and Civil Rights Commission, among others, called for improvements to the system to ensure that textbooks for students with visual impairments could be produced and distributed in time for the start of the school term. The Elementary and Secondary Education Act was subsequently amended following discussions among the Ministry of Education, metropolitan and provincial education offices, and relevant institutions.
Education Minister Choi Kyo-jin said, “The revision to the enforcement decree has made it easier to produce and distribute educational materials, including Braille textbooks, for students and teachers with disabilities,” adding, “We expect these changes to greatly benefit the studies of students with disabilities and the teaching activities of teachers with disabilities in the future.”

[email protected] Kim Man-gi Reporter