LGU+ Donates Braille Information Terminals… 'Leading Efforts to Close Digital Divide'

2024.06.17. The Fair Economy — LGU+ (CEO Hwang Hyeon-sik) announced recently that it has donated braille information terminals to the Korea Blind Union (KBU, chaired by Kim Yeong-il) to help close the digital divide for visually impaired people.

A braille information terminal is a type of laptop designed to allow visually impaired users to access digital files through braille or audio. The device enables them to engage in a wide range of activities, such as studying, working and gaming, on par with non-disabled users. However, because it is specialized equipment costing several million won, many visually impaired people have found it difficult to afford.

This weak information accessibility is widening the digital divide for visually impaired people. According to the "2023 Digital Divide Survey Report" published by the National Information society Agency, visually impaired people have the highest mobile device ownership rate (92.8%) among people with disabilities, but their usage rate of content services such as information and news searches, email and media is lower than the average for people with disabilities.

To help close this digital divide, LGU+ donated seven braille information terminals using funds from its Agricultural and Fishing Village Cooperation Fund. The seven terminals will be delivered to KBU branches in rural and fishing communities in Gangwon, Gyeongnam, Jeonnam, Jeonbuk and Chungbuk provinces, where they will be used starting in August to support a range of activities — including outreach and counseling, rehabilitation education, daily living training and digital literacy education — aimed at helping visually impaired people take part as members of their local communities. LGU+ expects this to help close the digital divide and expand social participation for visually impaired people in rural and fishing areas.

Earlier, in April, LGU+ donated 50 million won (about $36,000) to improve the smart device environment for visually impaired people. Using the donation, KBU produced a 260-page ICT education guidebook and is using it to provide smart device training for visually impaired people at some 220 locations nationwide, including local branches and welfare centers.

LGU+ is also working to expand learning opportunities for visually impaired people through other initiatives, including the "U+ Hope Library" project, which supports eight schools for the blind nationwide, including Gwangju Sekwang School, with ICT equipment such as braille books, magnifying readers and laptops, and the LG Sangnam Library campaign, in which employees record their voices to create audiobooks.

Meanwhile, LGU+ is set to receive a plaque of appreciation for its contributions to improving information access for visually impaired people at the "National Conference of Leaders for the Visually Impaired," to be held on the 20th. Through the conference, KBU provides high-quality lectures and opportunities for information exchange, focusing on enhancing the leadership and expertise of leaders for the visually impaired in line with evolving disability welfare policy.

Kim Yeong-il, chairman of KBU, said, "I hope that the donated braille information terminals will help close the digital divide for more visually impaired people, and that the day will come when visually impaired people can lead even more valuable daily lives."

Lee Hong-ryeol, head of LGU+'s ESG Promotion Office, said, "To share with others the interest and support we have received from our customers, LGU+ has been running campaigns in which employees participate after listening to the voices of various groups, including people with disabilities, senior citizens, children and teenagers, and local communities." He added, "We will continue to contribute to gradually closing the digital divide that many customers, including visually impaired people, face in their daily lives."