Jang Yun-kyung/Sumida/17,000 won
It contains a record of the touching journey of Yang Ye-jun (15), a ‘colored pencil artist’ who became the first child with developmental disabilities to enter Hanyang University’s Art Center for Gifted Students, and transformed the limitations of his disability into artistic possibilities with his mother’s love.
The author led his son to go out into the world without being trapped by the prejudice of his disability. Stereotypic behavior and visual pursuit, which were objects of erasure, became art at the son’s fingertips, and colored pencils, which had been wavering meaninglessly, created meaningful works on paper. The author did not reveal his son’s disability every time he submitted his work to a contest. This was because disability was not important in the face of ‘art’. The accumulated history of awards amounts to over 70 domestic and international art competitions. Yang Ye-jun received attention from overseas media after being selected to be exhibited at the Saatchi Gallery in the UK in 2022. We are continuing to achieve achievements such as winning the Seoul Metropolitan Government’s 2024 Grand Prize in Creativity, Science and Arts, passing the university’s Art Institute for Gifted Students, and holding a media exhibition at Seoul Station Square.
“I still carefully tell my younger mothers. Every person and object you encounter while living with a disabled child is a teacher, so don’t be afraid of anything and learn by encountering and learning from them. We should not hide our children in society like a hidden object game, but pray and teach them how to live together within it. It’s a world that looks like a jungle, but even within it, there are ‘guardian angels’ hiding like jewels here and there with warm hands who want to support and be with us. God has definitely sent such people to this earth, and we are. Because he helped disabled parents live, we must open our eyes and be courageous and say, ‘Our children with disabilities are not wrong, they are just different and special!’”
It also criticizes our society’s view of developmental disabilities. As the producer who first introduced the character of a child on the autism spectrum in a children’s program on EBS said, “If you know and understand, you can become friends,” he emphasizes that discrimination comes from ignorance, not malice. In fact, there still exists a lack of understanding of developmental disabilities even in the educational field.
The author revealed his motivation for publishing the book, saying, “I want to gift a piece of the time I spent with my son to those who are worried about their children’s future and are living the same life as me and invite them to art. I want to share the joy of art I have made with my son with many people.” At the same time, he added, “I urge those who have the preconceived notion that people with developmental disabilities cannot do anything. We are all ‘special geniuses’ and ‘maintainers of miracles.’ No one should rashly determine a person’s future.”
The author majored in Korean language and literature and creative writing at Sookmyung Women’s University, and worked as an editor at CPBC (Catholic Peace Broadcasting) and ‘Catholic Didache.’ Currently, he is a columnist for ‘Able News’ and the leader of ‘Drawing Mom’, a community for people with developmental disabilities and gifted artists.
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