Budget Essential to Boost Access to Justice Through Braille, Sign Language Services

While new regulations have been implemented to make legal assistance more accessible for everyone, concerns are being raised about insufficient budgets for producing Braille materials and providing sign language interpretation services. Securing funds is urgently needed to assist vulnerable groups with information access.

The 'Judicial Support Guidelines,' effective since January 1, are designed to support individuals who face difficulties accessing judicial services due to issues such as disability, illness, age, or pregnancy. Each court's Judicial Support Officer will concurrently serve as the head of the Judicial Access Center, overseeing related tasks. The official enforcement of the guidelines has formalized the targets, scope, principles, and types of judicial support.

The Seoul Southern District Court, which piloted its Judicial Access Center from 2022 before the regulations' enforcement, has established a system to comprehensively support not only people with disabilities but also vulnerable groups such as foreigners, North Korean defectors, and the elderly. The center is equipped with dozens of devices, including mobility aids, audiovisual information conversion devices, a Braille printer, and video phones capable of sign language interpretation. The center receives an average of approximately 93 visitors per month, predominantly the elderly who find judicial procedures challenging. Petitioners also visit the center if they are unable to receive necessary documents or understand their contents due to their disabilities.

Kim Hee-chul, head of the Seoul Southern District Court's Judicial Access Center, stated that individuals with hearing or speech impairments visited the center for assistance with civil litigation. Sign language interpretation was provided via video calls to help them receive necessary documents and ensure sign language interpretation was available for their trials. As the Judicial Support Officer, Kim has supported socially vulnerable individuals to ensure they are not excluded from utilizing judicial procedures.

However, securing the necessary budget and professional personnel to support these services remains a challenge. Kim stated his commitment to ensuring the stable provision of various assistive devices and sign language interpretation services to help the system take root in the future.