'They just need a chance': Mother of twins with autism calls for more inclusive schools

Eight-year-old Jang Chae-a won gold in the 8-10 age category at the 2026 International Youth Art Contest after meeting the Hankook Ilbo in Ulsan on Oct. 29. The autistic second-grader at Samdong Elementary School creates detailed visual stories from her interests and everyday experiences, despite having difficulty expressing herself spontaneously through speech. At her mainstream school, she and her autistic twin brother Sun-ho take most classes alongside classmates, with support from staff and peers. Their mother, Lee Kyung-geum, calls for more patience and opportunities for children with disabilities to learn and grow with others.

Chae-a’s award-winning drawing, titled “My Wonderful World of Stories,” depicts children in traditional Korean clothing playing folk games, alongside a turtle ship, animals and pine trees.

She had no formal art instruction; her structured drawing experience consists of art therapy twice a week.

Chae-a previously received an honorable mention in a competition for people with developmental disabilities and won gold in a contest organized by the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education.

During a theater class, classmates whispered performance cues to Chae-a and Sun-ho, who have difficulty memorizing lines.

Lee said the family faced substantial therapy costs, was excluded from some government support programs because both parents worked, and encountered private academies and sports facilities that turned the children away.

Published Nov 4, 2026 5:16 pm KST

Jang Chae-a, who won gold at the 2026 International Youth Art Contest (IYAC), poses with her mother, Lee Kyung-geum, at a cafe in Ulju County, Ulsan, Oct. 29. Korea Times photo by Park Eun-kyung

ULSAN — “Chae-a, do you like drawing?”

“You won an award for your drawing. What did you do with your picture at school?”

“How did you feel when you showed it to everyone?”

The eight-year-old's answers were brief, but her drawings were filled with endless stories.

Jang Chae-a, 8, a second-grader at Samdong Elementary School in Ulsan, won the gold prize in the 8-10 age category at the 2026 International Youth Art Contest (IYAC), a global competition for children and teenagers. She met with the Hankook Ilbo on Oct. 29 in Ulsan.

Chae-a, who is on the autism spectrum, has difficulty expressing her thoughts spontaneously through speech. But her mother, Lee Kyung-geum, 43, said this does not mean her daughter lacks the desire to communicate or the determination to do things well.

“It's as though all the stories she cannot fully put into words pour onto the drawing paper,” Lee said with a smile.

Jang Chae-a's “My Wonderful World of Stories,” which won gold in the 8-10 age category at the 2026 International Youth Art Contest (IYAC), weaves together a variety of subjects drawn from her experiences and interests, including historical figures, animals, nature and play. Courtesy of Lee Kyung-geum

Chae-a's award-winning work, titled “My Wonderful World of Stories,” is filled with images of children in traditional Korean clothing playing folk games, along with a turtle ship, a tiger, an ox, a mouse and pine trees. She brings together a variety of subjects drawn from her experiences and interests, weaving them into an engaging narrative.

Last year, Chae-a received an honorable mention as the youngest participant in an art competition for people with developmental disabilities organized by the Love Phone Welfare Foundation. She also won gold at an art competition for students receiving special education services organized by the Ulsan Metropolitan Office of Education. But this was her first award at an international competition open to participants regardless of disability.

Chae-a has never received formal art instruction. Her only structured exposure to drawing has been through art therapy sessions twice a week, designed to support her emotional development and self-expression.

She loves drawing so much that she will start sketching as soon as she sees a blank sheet of paper. She is also highly attentive to colors, able to distinguish subtle differences among the 48 shades in a box of crayons.

What sets her apart in particular is her ability to vividly remember scenes she has seen and experiences from everyday life, then reinterpret them into visual stories of her own. This skill also helped her learn Korean letters and the English alphabet at an early age.

Jung Min-sook, an art therapist who has worked with Chae-a since she was 6, said the girl gathers things that capture her interest and turns them into a coherent story.

“She has an exceptional ability to weave together historical figures, animals, nature, play, and thoughts and experiences from everyday life into a unified picture,” Jung said.

From left, Jang Chae-a, her mother Lee Kyung-geum and therapist Jung Min-sook discuss one of Chae-a's drawings at a cafe in Ulsan, Oct. 29. Chae-a won gold at the 2026 International Youth Art Contest (IYAC). Korea Times photo by Park Eun-kyung

Another distinctive feature of Chae-a's work is that she can complete a drawing without lifting her pencil from the paper, and rarely uses an eraser.

Chae-a attends a mainstream elementary school, like other children her age. While children with disabilities often face difficulties adjusting to school life, school has become her greatest source of inspiration.

Her twin younger brother, Sun-ho, who is also on the autism spectrum, attends the same school. With the assistance of special education support staff, except for a few subjects, the two take classes together with their classmates in mainstream classrooms.

Teachers and classmates treat Chae-a and Sun-ho as equal members of the school community rather than singling them out as different.

During a recent theater class, their classmates helped the twins, who have difficulty memorizing lines, by whispering their cues to them as the performance unfolded. When prompted with instructions such as, “Lie down. Say, ‘Oh ... I'm sleepy,’” Chae-a and Sun-ho would follow along.

“From after-school activities such as samulnori (traditional Korean percussion), violin lessons and choir to community experiences like apple picking and harvesting sweet potatoes, they take part in everything on an equal footing,” Lee said.

“Every little experience of having friends wait for them and include them is the greatest foundation for building their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment.”

There have also been considerable changes in Lee's own life as she has helped her children find joy in growing up within the school community.

A graduate of Seoul National University's College of Pharmacy, Lee had always led a highly goal-oriented existence. The realization that both her children had disabilities, however, became a turning point that changed the course of her life.

“I had always been able to achieve whatever I set out to do through hard work, but Chae-a and Sun-ho were different,” she said. “It took me a long time to fully accept each child's individual pace and way of expressing themselves.”

The practical challenges were also considerable. The family faced substantial financial burdens arranging language and cognitive therapy. Because both parents worked, they were excluded from various government support programs, among other difficulties.

Social prejudice and restrictions also took an emotional toll. The children were frequently turned away from private academies and sports facilities, and finding opportunities for them to interact with peers was far from easy.

“There are times when things other children learn in a few weeks take our children more than a year of practice,” Lee said. “What hurt the most was when they were denied the opportunity to participate at all simply because they were falling behind.”

She added that while individualized education tailored to each child's disability and developmental level is necessary, society must also recognize that children with disabilities will eventually have to live alongside everyone else.

Jang Chae-a's “My Forest Playground"/ Courtesy of Lee Kyung-geum

“Children with disabilities should also be given the opportunity to learn and grow together in groups. I hope society can be a little more patient and give them the time they need,” she said.

What Lee wants for her children is not some extraordinary achievement or exceptional success. It is simply an ordinary life in which they can communicate with the world in their own ways.

“I don't want Chae-a to become some extraordinary genius or a hero who has overcome her disability. I just hope that even when she grows up, she will keep drawing, communicate with other people through her art and find her place in the world.”

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, the sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.

10月29日，八岁的张彩雅在蔚山与《韩国日报》记者见面后，荣获2026年国际青少年艺术大赛8-10岁组金奖。这位就读于三洞小学二年级的自闭症女孩，尽管难以用语言自发表达自己，却能根据自己的兴趣和日常经历创作出细致入微的视觉故事。在普通学校里，她和同样患有自闭症的双胞胎弟弟善浩在老师和同学的帮助下，与大多数同学一起上课。他们的母亲李京琴呼吁社会各界给予残疾儿童更多的耐心和机会，让他们能够与其他人一起学习和成长。

Chae-a 的获奖画作名为《我奇妙的故事世界》，描绘了身着传统韩服的孩子们在龟船、动物和松树旁玩民间游戏的场景。

她没有接受过正规的艺术教育；她有组织的绘画经验仅限于每周两次的艺术治疗。

蔡雅此前曾在残疾人比赛中获得荣誉奖，并在蔚山市教育厅组织的比赛中获得金奖。

在一次戏剧课上，同学们悄悄地给记不住台词的蔡雅和善浩提供表演提示。

李说，这个家庭面临着巨额的治疗费用，由于父母双方都要工作，他们被排除在一些政府援助计划之外，而且一些私立学校和体育设施也拒绝接收他们的孩子。

发布于2026年11月4日下午5:16（韩国标准时间）

2026年国际青少年艺术大赛（IYAC）金奖得主张彩雅（Jang Chae-a）于10月29日在蔚山蔚州郡一家咖啡馆与母亲李京琴（Lee Kyung-geum）合影。韩国时报朴恩京摄

蔚山——“蔡雅，你喜欢画画吗？”

“你的画作获奖了。你在学校里是怎么处理你的画的？”

当你把照片展示给大家看的时候，你感觉如何？

这位八岁女孩的回答很简短，但她的画作却充满了无穷无尽的故事。

来自蔚山三洞小学二年级的8岁学生张彩雅在2026年国际青少年艺术大赛（IYAC）8-10岁年龄组中荣获金奖。该赛事是一项面向全球儿童和青少年的艺术比赛。10月29日，她在蔚山接受了《韩国日报》的采访。

患有自闭症的蔡雅难以自如地用语言表达自己的想法。但她43岁的母亲李京琴表示，这并不意味着女儿缺乏沟通的意愿或做好事情的决心。

“就好像她所有无法用语言完全表达的故事都倾泻到了画纸上，”李笑着说。

张彩雅的作品《我奇妙的故事世界》在2026年国际青少年艺术大赛（IYAC）8-10岁组荣获金奖。这幅作品融合了她从自身经历和兴趣中汲取的各种主题，包括历史人物、动物、自然和游戏。图片由李京琴提供。

蔡雅的获奖作品《我的奇妙故事世界》充满了身着传统韩服的孩子们玩民间游戏的画面，还有龟船、老虎、牛、老鼠和松树等元素。她将源自自身经历和兴趣的各种主题融合在一起，编织成一个引人入胜的故事。

去年，蔡雅在爱心电话福利基金会举办的面向发育障碍人士的艺术比赛中荣获最年轻参赛者荣誉奖。她还在蔚山市教育厅举办的特殊教育学生艺术比赛中获得金奖。但这是她首次在面向所有残障人士的国际比赛中获奖。

Chae-a从未接受过正规的艺术教育。她唯一系统地接触绘画的方式是每周两次的艺术治疗课程，旨在帮助她进行情感发展和自我表达。

她非常喜欢画画，只要看到一张白纸就会开始素描。她对颜色也非常敏感，能够分辨出一盒蜡笔中48种颜色之间的细微差别。

她最与众不同之处在于，她能够生动地记住日常生活中看到和经历的场景，并将它们重新诠释成属于她自己的视觉故事。这项能力也帮助她从小就学会了韩文字母和英文字母。

艺术治疗师郑敏淑（Jung Min-sook）从蔡雅（Chae-a）6岁起就与她一起工作，她说，这个女孩会收集引起她兴趣的东西，并将它们变成一个连贯的故事。

荣格说：“她有非凡的能力，能将历史人物、动物、自然、游戏以及日常生活中的思想和经历编织成一幅统一的画面。”

10月29日，在蔚山一家咖啡馆，从左至右，张彩雅、她的母亲李京琴和治疗师郑敏淑正在讨论彩雅的一幅画作。彩雅在2026年国际青少年艺术大赛（IYAC）中荣获金奖。韩国时报朴恩京摄

蔡雅作品的另一个显著特点是她可以不用把铅笔从纸上移开就能完成一幅画，而且很少使用橡皮擦。

蔡雅和其他同龄孩子一样，就读于一所普通小学。虽然残疾儿童常常难以适应学校生活，但学校却成了她最大的灵感来源。

她的双胞胎弟弟善浩也患有自闭症，就读于同一所学校。在特殊教育支持人员的帮助下，除了少数几门科目外，兄弟俩都和其他同学在普通教室一起上课。

老师和同学们都把蔡雅和善浩当作学校社区的平等成员对待，而不是把他们区别对待。

在最近的一次戏剧课上，同学们帮助这对记台词有困难的双胞胎，在演出过程中轻声告诉他们提示。当听到诸如“躺下。说‘哦……我困了’”之类的指令时，彩雅和善浩都能照做。

李说：“从课后活动，如四物游戏（韩国传统打击乐）、小提琴课和合唱团，到社区体验，如采摘苹果和收获红薯，他们都能平等地参与其中。”

“朋友们等待他们、陪伴他们的每一件小事，都是建立他们自尊心和成就感的最佳基础。”

李的生活也发生了相当大的变化，她帮助孩子们在学校社区中找到了成长的乐趣。

李女士毕业于首尔大学药学院，一直以来都过着目标明确、积极进取的生活。然而，当她意识到自己的两个孩子都患有残疾时，她的人生轨迹发生了转折。

“我一直以来都能通过努力实现任何目标，但蔡雅和善浩不一样，”她说。“我花了很长时间才完全接受每个孩子不同的成长节奏和表达方式。”

实际困难也相当大。这个家庭在安排语言和认知治疗方面面临着沉重的经济负担。由于父母双方都要工作，他们无法享受各种政府援助项目，此外还面临其他诸多困难。

社会偏见和限制也给孩子们带来了情感上的创伤。他们经常被私立学校和体育设施拒之门外，寻找与同龄人互动的机会也绝非易事。

李说：“有些时候，其他孩子几周就能学会的东西，我们的孩子却要练习一年多才能掌握。最令人痛心的是，他们仅仅因为落后就被剥夺了参与的机会。”

她补充说，虽然根据每个孩子的残疾情况和发育水平量身定制的个性化教育是必要的，但社会也必须认识到，残疾儿童最终必须与其他人一起生活。

张彩雅的《我的森林游乐场》/ 图片由李京琴提供

“残疾儿童也应该有机会在集体中学习和成长。我希望社会能够更有耐心，给他们所需的时间，”她说。

李希望她的孩子们拥有的并非非凡的成就或卓越的成功，而仅仅是平凡的生活，让他们能够以自己的方式与世界交流。

“我并不希望蔡雅成为克服残疾的杰出天才或英雄。我只希望，即使她长大成人，也能继续画画，通过艺术与他人交流，找到自己在世界上的位置。”

本文来自《韩国日报》（《韩国时报》的姊妹报），由人工智能生成系统翻译，并由《韩国时报》编辑。