The man who blinked half a million times to write his master’s thesis

[홀랜]

From isolation to activism

Jang wasn’t always the confident, tech-savvy activist he is today.

As a child, he struggled with mobility, but he still attended school with the help of his father, who carried him each day. By 13, he could no longer walk, and by 14, he had to leave school entirely.

In 2005, 18-year-old Jang Ik-seon (seated) attends an event at a disability group home, a shared living space designed to provide support and independence for people with disabilities. (Courtesy of Jang Ik-seon)

For three years, he rarely left his home. Depression set in. The walls of his room became his entire world. His only escape was gaming — especially StarCraft — which gave him a temporary sense of control in a reality that felt increasingly out of his hands.

Then, one day, his mother couldn’t help but intervene.

“The world has changed,” she told him. “Yes, there’s still discrimination, but it’s better than it used to be. You need to get out there and do something — anything.”

At age 20, during his undergraduate years at Gwangju University, Jang Ik-seon worked on class assignments using a school computer — back when he could still physically control a mouse. (Courtesy of Jang Ik-seon)

With that push, Jang enrolled in a night school run by university student volunteers. He spent two years studying for middle and high school equivalency exams, eventually passing them all.

His confidence grew. He entered Gwangju University in 2006 to study social welfare, shifting his focus from personal survival to collective change. He realized that the biggest challenges he faced weren’t just medical — they were societal.

His academic studies reframed his thinking. He stopped asking, "Why me?" and started asking, "Why isn’t society better prepared to support people like me?"

Jang Ik-seon, then serving as president of the Gwangju Muscular Dystrophy Association, delivers a speech at the 2014 South Chungcheong Province Forum on Securing 24-Hour Support for People with Disabilities, urging policy reforms for continuous care. (Courtesy of Jang Ik-seon)

After earning his undergraduate degree in 2010, Jang co-founded the Gwangju Muscular Dystrophy Association in 2011, creating a space for peer support, advocacy and awareness campaigns. He later helped establish the Korean Alliance for the Right to Life of People with Muscular Disabilities, a nationwide group led by people with severe disabilities.

Even as his condition progressed and he lost the ability to use his hands around 2014, Jang’s activism never slowed. Instead, he adapted — drafting debate scripts, policy proposals and advocacy materials, entirely through eye-tracking and blinks.

In 2019, during his advocacy work, Jang met Professor Chung Hee-kyung of Gwangju University, a prominent expert in disability policy. Recognizing his potential as a powerful voice for change, she encouraged him to pursue a master’s degree, emphasizing that formal credentials would give him a stronger position in policy discussions and negotiations with government officials.

“If you want to make more change, you need the credentials to sit at the table where decisions are made,” she told him.

Jang took the advice to heart.