By Mary Esther Penner “For 300,000 Japanese Deaf people, Japanese is a foreign language they have to study arduously to learn. In reality, their first language (their heart language that is naturally absorbed), is Japanese Sign Language (JSL). JSL is a visual language more different from Japanese than English is Read more…
Jun Ishikawa, an international relations professor at the University of Shizuoka, was elected to the United Nation’s Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Mr. Ishikawa, who lost his eyesight 40 years ago at age 16, has been leading the Commission on Policy for Persons with Disabilities in Japan, Read more…
Notes from the Obstacle Course Dr. Michael Peckitt When it comes to public amenities, whether it be public transport, city ward offices, or the ubiquitous local museum; Japan is reasonably well set up for people with disabilities, at least in terms of physical access to public intuitions, spaces and buildings. Read more…
By Mizuki Hsu of Moon Rider 7 My name is Mizuki Hsu. I am a Japanese disability advocate in a wheelchair. From October 2015, I worked with the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University in New York, U.S. to research employment of people with disabilities. I visited 10 states, 20 cities and interviewed over Read more…
This past Monday, the Japan Barrier Free Association held the 13th Gold Concert. The the annual musical competition was started by Yoshihiro Kaiya (read his interview here) to create a positive image of “disabled people” in the minds of average people through music. The event was held at the largest concert hall in Read more…
Suzanne Kamata is the author of the YA novels Gadget Girl: The Art of Being Invisible and Screaming Divas, both of which feature diversity. She was the editor of Love You to Pieces: Creative Writers on Raising a Child with Special Needs . Her nonfiction book A Girls’ Guide to Read more…