Duskin Study Abroad LeadersProgram for the Disabled

Duskin Disability LeadershipProgram at UMass Boston

An environment in place for working as one sees fit as well as theresources one needs to become independent.
I studied peer counseling andempowerment at an independent livingcenter located in the city of Tucson inArizona, US. In Tucson, people casuallycalled out to me, but the majority ofthem left the choice of whether or not Ineeded help to me. Also, while I hadknown about the ease of publictransportation access and the fact thateveryone had different-looking eyesthan Japanese people, I was stillsurprised at how comfortable I felt uponexperiencing them first-hand.
Because the Americans with DisabilitiesAct (ADA) has taken root in Americansociety, an environment where one canwork as deemed fit and the resources forindependent living are in place. Whilethere are some locations where somepeople may encounter difficulty ofaccess depending on their disability,by clearly emphasizing their needs, itis possible for them to receive theirneeded support. Workshops are alsoactively conducted in which disabledpersons as well as members of localenterprises and society at large canproactively put improvements inplace. I got a first-hand sense of howthese workshops are tied directly toempowerment.
From here on out, in addition tocontinuing to meet people withvarious disabilities and learn abouttheir ideas and experience, I hope tostudy about communities’involvement in improving thewelfare of disabled persons and theresultant initiatives.

Being able to learn about the lifestyles led by disabled personsand diversity in multiple countries was highly meaningful for me.
Until I came down with an intractabledisease three years earlier, I hadworked in a company. Because of thatexperience, I have a strong desire tocontribute to the improvement of theemployment of disabled persons. Inorder to improve that employment, Ibelieve that in addition to graduallymaking each individual site ofemployment a better place,comprehensive action such as domesticlegislation and the fostering of publicopinion is also indispensable.
For the purpose of learning about thesetwo approaches, I engaged in trainingat the UNDP Headquarters based inNew York, and studied concretemeasures for improving sites ofemployment at a disabled persons’support organization based in London.
At UNDP, while studying disabledpersons’ support efforts at the UN, I

3furthered my understanding ofdiversity in its broader meaning,covering nationality, gender, LGBTIand other angles in addition todisability. Meanwhile, I also tookpart in several human resourceprojects for the purpose of provingthat disabled persons candemonstrate their capability andcontribute to an organization just likepeople without disabilities. Further,in the course of my UNDP training, Ihad the opportunity to stay at the UNoffice in Copenhagen, Denmark forabout two weeks. I feel that beingable to learn about the lifestyles ofdisabled persons and diversity inmultiple countries through myexperience in the US, the UK andDenmark was highly meaningful forme.

Individual Trainee

Chieko Miyagi(Physically-impaired)
Training Institution: DIRECT, USDuration of Training: Mar. 17, 2018 – Feb. 10, 2019 (tent.)
Training Theme:Empowering disabled persons with the use of peer counselingIndividual Trainee

Tomoko Saito(Physically-impaired)
Training Institution:United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), USLeonard Cheshire Disability, UKDuration of Training: Mar. 7, 2018 – Jan. 16, 2019 (tent.)
Training Theme:Learning about the actual state of the employment of disabledpersons in the UK and studying precedents of actual sites ofemployment

It has been two years since this program was last conducted.
This year, two trainees were dispatched to the US, where theyengaged in language training as well as training in line withself-chosen themes over a period of approx. five months.

Training Institution:The Institute for Community Inclusion (ICI) at the University ofMassachusetts Boston (UMB)Duration of Training: July 28 – Dec. 19, 2017Training Theme:1. Intensive training in English language2. Intersessional study about disabilities3. Individual leadership training for the disabled4. Regular group instruction seminars

Miku Hayashida (Physically-impaired)

Rina Otsuka (Physically-impaired)

Training Theme:Children with disabilities and community support for their families

Training Theme:Learning about advocacy for realizing independence

I served as an intern at the Federation forChildren with Special Needs, a facility thatprovides support to families with disabledchildren and other concerned parties. Overmy five-month period of study, I discoveredthat my experience as a disabled person canserve as an element in empowering children with disabilitiesand their family members in Japan. In the process, I startedfeeling that I want to place greater value on my own identityas a disabled person. I amproud to have been able toserve as a 37th-year traineeunder the Duskin AINOWAFoundation.

My experiences and encounters in Boston gaveme the self-confidence to live with my disability.
Through my experience as an intern at theBoston Center for Independent Living, Idiscovered that thinking and acting on one’s ownand learning from doing so, even if those actionsended in failure, are links to one’s growth. I also learned new formsof communication. Additionally, the host family that welcomed mehelped me overcome my initial nervousness, and encouraged mewhen I was feeling down frommaking mistakes. With the prideof having been a trainee in myheart, I will go on to give backwhat I have learned to mycommunity in Japan.

Middle Group ProgramThis was the first year that the Middle Group Program wasconducted. A group of three trainees seeking to enforce theUnited Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons withDisabilities in Japan were dispatched to New Zealand,where they engaged in training for two weeks.

Shingo Saito

Center for IndependentLiving in Tsukuba, Honyara

Comparing New Zealandand Japan is a difficultthing. New Zealand hassome aspects that Iadmire. On the other hand,Japan has some systemsthat I would like topromote. Many different people, not justdisabled persons, are fighting to improve therights of people with disabilities. I discoveredthat those people are leading their lives notwhile looking pessimistically at their situationbut while forming a smiling community.

Group Name: IbakentsuTraining Institutions:20 institutions in New Zealand,including the Office for Disability Issues (ODI)and the Disabled Persons Assembly (DPA)Duration of Training: Nov. 11 – Nov. 24, 2017Training Theme:Tour for creating a future picture of a social model - focusedmovement for the rights of the disabled in Japanfor IndependentYusuke Namai CenterLiving in Tsukuba, Honyara

The disabled persons groupthat we visited was engagedin activities aligned with theideas of the United NationsConvention on the Rights ofPersons with Disabilities. Ialso thought it was wonderfulhow the government of New Zealand was proactivein establishing a framework for incorporating theopinions of disabled persons. The country alreadyhas a social system in place where it is easy fordisabled persons to go about their daily lives.
Going forward, in Japan as well, I would like toincorporate the opinions of disabled persons whenthe Act for Eliminating Discrimination againstPersons with Disabilities is amended.

Hitomi Suzuki

CIL-Iroha

After wrapping up twoweeks of training underthis program, I felt like thevoices of disabled personswere properly reachingthe ears of governmentofficials and educators.
Whether government institutions areestablishing new systems or building newschool buildings, there is an environment inplace where the voices of the disabled areheard and incorporated and both disabled andnon-disabled persons can come together tocreate things. This proactive situation issomething I felt should absolutely be made areality in Japan.

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