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November 19, 2009

Training Report : October 23, 2009: Lecture: Welfare Service and Systems for Persons with Disabilities Ⅱ - from the perspectives of persons with disabilities

Since the Japanese government has changed and The Democratic Party of Japan took power today's lecturers became very busy for abolishing the Law for Supporting Independece of Persons with Disabilities and creating a new comprehensive law for persons with disabilities based on the concept of CRPD.

In the morning Secretary General of Japan National Assembly of Disabled Peoples' International (DPI-Japan) started his lecture by introducing the outline of DPI and then sharing his own childhood experiences in an institution with the participants.

Lecture material : Policies for Persons with Disabilities in Japan from the Viewpoint of a Person with a Disability

In the afternoon staff of DPI first lectured on the movements of persons with disabilities by showing the video about the transportation barrier-free movement in the 1980's. Then He explained about the shift from medical model to social model, the development of the independent living movement and postwar policies for persons with disabilities, the International Year of Disabled Persons and dissemination of the idea of normalization. It was only from the late 1990's to early 2000's when the support for the community life or independent living in the actual systems and services started.

Through their lectures, the participants could learn that the current welfare services and systems were not available for persons with disabilities from the beginning. But the movements and involvement of persons with disabilities over the last 50 years had played important roles in their development.

http://www.jicafriends.jp/leaders/gi2009/training/l1023.html

Posted by jicafriends at 11:10 PM | Comments (0)

November 17, 2009

Greetings from Khempone-Lao PDR

Sabaidee JICA friends

Please Say sabaidee to JICA trainees of Leadership course and participant from Laos

I saw a picture of Mr. Ueno on internet is make me think of all trainees I were knew last 2006
How is going on about training course, I’m usually fallow up to see JICA web on internet
It looks interesting and fun

O.k I just say hello to all of you

I hope that to see you if I have opportunity in the future.

Sokdeeder

Khemphone (Leaders'course 2006)

Posted by jicafriends at 02:56 PM | Comments (0)

November 04, 2009

Training Report : October 20, 2009 : AM: Accessibility Check in Tokyo Metropolitan City PM: Lecture: “Aiming at realization of a barrier-free society”

In this morning, the participants were divided into 3 groups for accessibility check of public transportation and building in Tokyo Metropolitan City.

They were heading for 3 different famous sites in Tokyo.

Group 1: Ferris wheel “Big O”
Participants from, Namibia, Jamaica and Saint Lucia

Group 2: Roppoongi - Tokyo Midtown
Participants from Laos, Pakistan, and Fiji

Group 3: Hachiko (Hollywood movie titled “Hachi” was modeled after this dog)
Participants from Sri Lanka, Philippines and Kazakhstan

On the way to the destinations, participants checked and experienced various barrier-free facilities provided for persons with disabilities.

There are Braille block tiled on the platform or on the street.

Platform gate which prevent persons fall down from platform.

Those facilities are very helpful for persons with visual impairments when they walk outside alone.

There are also services and facilities available for persons who use wheelchairs.

Train staff prepared a portable ramp to assist wheelchair users to get on and off a train.

Participants from Sri Lanka, Philippines and Kazakhstan had an opportunity to ride on a non-step bus.

Some participants had the impression that people are able to go anywhere by themselves in Japan.

In the afternoon, Board member, Japan National Assembly of Disabled People's International (DPI-Japan), gave lecture on “boarding rejection” of flat-type wheelchair user with severe disability to introduce about the reality of what is occurring in Japan.

From lecturer's own experiences, he said that he did not feel sadness when he could not get on a bus which was not wheelchair-accessible.

However, he was very chagrined when he could not get on a bus which was wheelchair-accessible.

He raised a question, “How do you feel if you are not allowed to use facilities which are accessible and barrier-free”. “What is to say, the right to get around using public transport is violated by the arbitrary policies of bus companies.”

The lecturer advised that the important point to promote barrier-free society was, to reflect opinions of persons with disabilities themselves in the process of making laws and policies.

http://www.jicafriends.jp/leaders/gi2009/training/l1020.html

Posted by jicafriends at 05:15 PM | Comments (0)