Barrier-free society

A society without "walls" is at peace

A "barrier-free society" is one in which all citizens, including the elderly and the disabled, can live without obstacles or "walls."

The junior writers feel that a society where everyone can live comfortably is a peaceful society and so we decided to look at the idea of "barrier-free" as the topic for this issue. We tried moving around Peace Memorial Park with the use of wheelchairs and learned about disabled children in school.

Exploring this issue made the junior writers more familiar with the problems of a barrier-free society and raised our sense of concern in regard to the disabled and the elderly in our daily lives.

Empathy grows through difficulties faced

Kunitaka Fujii (second from right) explains about the gap between the sidewalk and the surface of the street. (Photo by Shotaro Takata)

Click to view the junior writers moving in wheelchairs.

The junior writers tried to experience what life is like for the "disabled" and "elderly" by navigating streets and stairs in town in wheelchairs.

We asked a wheelchair user, Kunitaka Fujii, 61, to be our guide and we moved in wheelchairs through the city center and Peace Memorial Park.

When we went from the road surface to the sidewalk, the difference in level between the two sometimes made it hard to advance smoothly. This difference was originally created to make it easier for blind people to sense the boundary between the street and the sidewalk. However, we discovered that this design can present an obstacle for wheelchair users.

Near Peace Park, we found that some sidewalks and bridges lacked the textured tile paths for blind people to follow. In the park itself, although there is a bathroom for wheelchair users, the sign for it cannot be seen from one direction so it might be missed. And the slope to the north of Peace Memorial Museum is a bit steep so wheelchair users need someone who can help prevent their wheelchairs from rolling down it.

Junior writers try to gain a sense of being elderly. (Photo by Shiori Kusuo)

We also tried to experience what it might be like for the elderly by putting weights around our knees and waists, forcing us to bend over as we walked.

At the entrance to Hiroshima National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, where the stairs go down, the aid of walking sticks was not enough to prevent us from staggering. Walking down a slope was easier than using stairs because we didn't have to raise our legs as much. At a large intersection, some junior writers were unable to reach the other side of the street before the traffic light turned red.

Yoshiaki Imafuku, 50, has been engaged in activities to convey the voices of the disabled in order to create a more comfortable society for them. He told us that barrier-free conditions have improved dramatically since the enactment of the Transportation Accessibility Improvement Law in 2000.

Textured tile paths were set in sidewalks and elevators were installed in train and subway stations. The number of buses equipped to handle wheelchairs increased from a few hundred to about 60,000 nationwide. However, facilities in rural areas haven't been upgraded to the extent that has been achieved in cities.

"Our hearts must be barrier-free, too," says Mr. Fujii. "Barrier-free hearts" are realized when people feel the sort of kindness that leads them to spontaneously help the elderly and the disabled. For improving the quality of life for these groups of people, it is important that they have the chance to share their own personal experiences.

We discovered that there are many elderly and disabled around us. Our investigation has prompted us to think more deeply about these people's feelings and try to offer our help. If we feel more concern for others, perhaps society would change for the better. (Minako Iwata, 15, and Shiori Kusuo, 16)

Facilities Well-equipped for barrier-free

A baseball stadium equipped with removable seats for wheelchairs. (Courtesy of Hideto Kijima)

Hideto Kijima, 36, lives in Osaka and became bound to a wheelchair while still in high school. To date, he has nevertheless traveled to 99 countries around the world. He is a member of a barrier-free research institute and works as a consultant for companies and municipalities. He told us about barrier-free conditions internationally.

Strategies for solving barrier-free issues are different depending on the place, he said. For example, concerning public restrooms, they can basically be divided into two types.

While Japan and Europe largely make separate restrooms for the disabled, the United States and South Africa usually create space for wheelchair users within regular restrooms.

Each approach has its advantages and disadvantages. It's costly to make separate restrooms. And if the facilities for the disabled are within regular restrooms, they needn't be bothered searching for a special restroom. On the other hand, if a wheelchair user is male and his support person is female--or vice versa--it's hard for that person to enter a restroom for the other sex.

Mr. Kijima says that the United States is well-advanced as a barrier-free country. He gave the example of special seats in movie theaters and stadiums which are removable so wheelchair users can easily access these places. "With such features, we don't have to feel that we need special concern," he said.

Norway is another example of a country with a barrier-free spirit. Although some of the more inexpensive hotels do not have sloping walkways and elevators, the hotel staff was always very helpful so Mr. Kijima felt little inconvenience. (Yusuke Suemoto, 12)

Education Disabled are placed in classes with the non-disabled

In Sweden, all children, including the disabled, are placed in the same classroom and learn together. We asked Takeshi Ogasa, 69, about the characteristics of Swedish education. Mr. Ogasa has visited Sweden more than 20 times and has written a book that compares the education for disabled children in Japan and in Sweden.

The "integration" of education in Sweden began around 1960 and involves a wide range of disabled children studying in the same classes with non-disabled students.

One class is usually comprised of 20 students and two teachers, but if a disabled child is in the class, a specialist teacher, such as an instructor who reads Braille or uses sign language, is assigned to provide additional support. The budget of the Swedish government is a reflection of this high-quality care. According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the Japanese government allocates only 3.4% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to public education, while Sweden allots as much as 6.2% of GDP.

Moreover, when a disabled child enters school, the educational boards of local Japanese governments often take the lead in guiding the situation, but in Sweden, the student and the parents' right to make choices is given greater respect. (Shiori Kusuo, 16)

Inclusive education: 96% of disabled children go to local schools

The term "inclusion" refers to all students, including children with disabilities, studying together in the same classroom. This form of education is practiced widely in the United States, where about 96% of disabled children attend regular schools. Other children go to a special school for the disabled.

Kozue Minamidate, a professor at Urawa University's Junior College, told us that the United States has had a law stipulating inclusive education for the disabled since 1975. The law is designed to ensure that all students can attend regular schools, if they choose, and receive an appropriate education. Regardless of disabilities or ethnic differences, children go to school together and are able to learn consideration for others and how to communicate.

Ms. Minamidate points out that the United States is a good environment for inclusive education because schools often have students do research in groups and take part in class discussions, while in Japan, the teacher generally lectures to the children.

Depending on the area and the school, the kind of classroom and its resources may vary. For example, in some cases, disabled children study with the same resources as the other students; in other cases, special resources are also used. The students, their parents, their teachers, and other people concerned decide together on appropriate materials. (Nao Tatsugawa, 17)

Government support is inadequate More funds needed for helpers More chance to interact with the disabled
Barrier-free issues	Interview with Professor Mogi of J.E. Oberlin University

We spoke with an expert on the psychology of children with disabilities about support for the disabled in Japan. Professor Mogi, a professor at the College of Health and Welfare of J.E. Oberlin University, pointed out that when the Japanese government and local government launch support programs, they don't listen well to the views of the disabled.

"Services should not simply be delivered along the lines of existing laws," Professor Mogi said. "The laws should be changed to create more suitable conditions for the disabled."

For example, if a child in a wheelchair hopes to attend a local school but that school isn't equipped with slopes and elevators, the child is unable to enroll there. In regard to lessons, the number of students in a class should be reduced, and the teachers increased, in order to create more success in the classroom.

He also stressed that the support of the national government and local governments, including their financial support, is vital.

About the textured tiles on platforms in train stations, Professor Mogi pointed out that these can be hard to locate when the station is crowded and there is the dangerous possibility of a disabled person falling down from the platform. A more favorable approach, for safety's sake, might be some type of fencing and doors on the platform. He also believes that governments should provide more financial support for training and paying helpers who can accompany the disabled when they go out.

Professor Mogi is concerned about the fact that there are limited opportunities for most people to interact with the disabled. If people, when they are children, can make friends with someone who is disabled and come to understand that person's hopes and desires, it would help advance a barrier-free spirit.

He added, "The things those with disabilities can and can't do depend on their particular disability. To address misunderstandings toward the disabled, it's important to take a scientific view to distinguish the sort of difficulties that stem from each disability." (Moeko Takaki, 14)