Ordinary Campus Life via Collaborative Work

Eunhye Jeon, stenographer in education
(Center for Students with Disabilities, SNU)

Ms. Jeon, a stenographer moving around campus to support the education of students with disabilities, experiences the site of “diversity” in her daily life. Some people may draw a dichotomous distinction between disabled and non-disabled people. However, others toward Ms. Jeon are neighbors she lives with, former colleagues she grows with, and teachers who lift her up.

Supporting Enthusiasm for Learning through Stenography

These devices are necessary to provide students with disabilities with stenography support. Ms. Jeon, whom I met on campus, was carrying a large travel suitcase. It contained her stenography machine, laptop, and various class materials. SNU, first among national universities, established and operated a Center for Students with Disabilities. When the semester begins, Ms. Jeon accompanies the students in need to the lecture site.
“I first learned about stenography while volunteering to produce electronic books for the visually impaired. I became a nationally certified stenographer in 2015 after volunteering and studying for the certification exam.”
The volunteer organization where she volunteered at the time supported people with visual, auditory, and physical disabilities. Those with disabilities who attended the organization were receiving learning assistance to continue their learning. While interpreting texts via an assistive device for the auditorily and visually impaired, she felt rewarded by realizing that her talent for “stenography” could assist others. Although she had once prepared stenographic notes on meetings at a local council, she could not completely release the thought of “education” that led her to the job of a stenographer. Thus, starting in 2016, she began supporting the education of students with disabilities through the Center for Students with Disabilities.

Area of Coexistence Unreplaceable by AI

The students in need, most of whom are auditorily impaired, follow the class by watching the stenographic notes she creates in real-time. These stenographic notes contain the classroom atmosphere and the content of the professor's lecture.
“A stenographer is not just someone who speedily types. In particular, stenographers in education at a university are to convey ironies, facial expressions, and behavior in addition to the atmosphere of lectures in assisting students living smoothly on campus. However, I do not interpret the nuance in conveying the atmosphere. It is important to communicate depending on the characteristics and needs of individual students.”
Stenographers in education are destined to swiftly understand lecture content that is difficult for majors. In a typical stenographic work, several stenographers take turns generating stenographic notes, whereas stenographic notes for university lectures must be prepared without shifts. Despite the demand for intensive stenographic work for several hours, she could not lose her concentration because she cared about the students in need who would study depending on her stenographic notes. Communication with students who express their gratitude by saying, “I was able to graduate thanks to your help” is a rewarding experience unique to stenographers in academics. During the long COVID-19 pandemic period, sincere communication was not suspended. This interaction belongs to a human domain that machines cannot simulate.

Pondering Ways to Assist Students with Disabilities Learning

Each semester, students in need change. However, there has been an increasing request to designate “Ms. Jeon” as a stenographer. The students in need, who accompany me on campus, are like friends every semester, and are valuable companions and teachers.
“At the beginning of the semester, we work like ‘a team’ in the lecture room. Because it is a student who best knows the content of their major courses, I occasionally ask questions on accurate expressions to them. Students in need are the most essential instructors to me.”
Students who need assistance during lab courses are required to bring a doll equipped with a remote microphone to the laboratory or workshop, as it may be difficult for a stenographer to accompany them. This cute doll conveys a nonverbal request for “speaking into the microphone” during Q&A or discussion sessions. Her major goal as a stenographer in education is “the learning of students with disabilities.”
“A comparison of the stenographic notes between the time when I first began to work and the recent time at the Center for Students with Disabilities sometimes startled me about the extent of growth. Many students are recognized for their abilities in their respective majors in seeking their career path.”
It has been eight years since I worked as a stenographer in education at SNU. Nevertheless, I still become lighthearted at the beginning of a new semester to meet new friends. One of her simple wishes is to “work as a stenographer in education until she becomes an elderly.” In a world where disabled and non-disabled people freely communicate without distinction, I imagine the day when an old lady stenographer walks around the campus.