About Palette~Aspirations and Pathways for Palette~
Palette is a tool for painting. Just as colors on a palette that mix together to create newcolors, we hope to create new possibilities by bringing together people, regardless ofdifferent abilities, sex, or race.

~Purpose and Mission of Palette~
Palette contributes to the realization of a society where everyone can live life fully as
they’re inherently entitled, by providing solutions for various life challenges people withdisabilities face in the realm of employment, living accommodations, and leisure.

1◆Message from the chair
Upon the 30th anniversary of Palette’s establishment this year, I
was appointed to take over the board chair position from theformer board chair, Naoko Taniguchi. I have been involved with
Palette since I was a student, participating as a volunteer in theleisure activities at “Tamariba”, a community gathering place forpeople with different abilities. After graduating from thedepartment of social welfare at the Meiji Gakuin University, I
joined the “Okashi-ya Palette” patisserie as a training staff andworked on increasing sales in order to grow it beyond just avocational rehabilitation center for people with disabilities. In the
1990’s, we faced the difficulties of running an independent
Hiroaki Soma
vocational center without government funding. Afterwards, I was
promoted to the director of “Okashi-ya Palette” and had an
opportunity to learn about supported employment in New Hampshire, USA. I was surprised tosee that the people with mental disabilities were protected across all aspects of their lives
through laws of the United States. Eventually, some of participants from “Okashi-ya Palette”
were able to enter the work-force at various companies.
As Palette continued to develop, I shared the growing pains with the former board chair.
Programs involving leisure, employment, livelihood, and international development were full ofchallenges. One of the biggest challenges came from running the Palette operations in Sri Lanka.
Of the 24 years that I have been involved with Palette, the 10 years I worked in Sri Lanka werethe most toughening years of my career. In Sri Lanka, the welfare situation for people withdisabilities was challenging and discriminatory. I encountered difficulties in sharing a common
mission with locals, growing an organization, and continuing an organization without funding.
As a result of the replacement of the board chair, the new Palette has been born. We willreconsider our mission and determine the future direction of our organization throughworkshops with board members, volunteers, parents of beneficiaries, and Palette staff. We arefacing multitude of issues, including the issue of aging workers at “Okashiya Palette”. Our
restaurant business is also under pressure to create a new direction in the face of continuing
recession.
I am determined put my heart and soul into the board chair position at Palette, and to continue
dreaming big, without losing sight of its mission and activities with people with disabilities since
Palette’s inception. I would like to thank all the supporters of Palette and ask for your continued
support and encouragement. Together, we can continue to make a difference.

◆How You Can HelpThanks to our supporters, we are able to enrich and expand our programs.
There are many ways to get involved. You can participate in our activities, utilize your skills as avolunteer, provide retail space for goods made by Palette participants, help produce events, be a partof the program development, become a member, make financial contributions, and/or share about theorganization. Together, supporters and people with disabilities create new possibilities throughmeeting and interacting with one another. Please join and support us.

◆Summary of Palette
Board Chair
Executive Director
Date of Establishment
Activities
Fiscal Scale
URL

Hiroaki Soma
Tatsuro Minamiyama
March 25, 2002
Activity to enhance welfare and international cooperation
104,348,624 yen (2012 Fiscal Year-end Revenue)
http://www.npo-palette.or.jp
2

E-mailPhone
Fax
Address
Organizational Structure
Breakdown of contributions（2012）

AwardsPublication

palette@npo-palette.or.jp
03-5766-7302
03-3409-3790
3-19-9, Ebisu East Bld., 101, Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, Japan
14 board members, 1 auditor, 16 staff members,
429 members (including individuals and organizations)
Membership fee: 3.1％（3,223,000 yen）
Donations: 5.7％（5,933,000 yen）
Grants: 1.8％（1,854,000 yen）
Subsidies: 56.8％（59,223,000 yen）
Other Income: 32.7％（34,114,000 yen）
- The 4th Yamato Welfare Foundation Award, December 2003
- The 10th Kazuo Itoga Memorial Award, November 2006
- The 2nd Business Innovation Award for excellence by Associationof Management Consultants in Japan, October 2011
- The 10th Yomiuri Welfare, Culture Award, December 2012
- Fukushi ni hasso no tenkan wo; Palette no chosen (Paradigm Shiftin Welfare; From the Frontlines at NPO Palette) (Budo-shya, July
2005)
- Anata to watashi, watashi to anata; chiteki shogaishya kara no
message (You and I, I and you; Messages from the people withIntellectually disabilities ) (Shogaku kan, January 2012)Management
Chair

Hiroaki Soma

Hiroaki Soma (Doubles as president of Okashi-ya Palette)

Vice
Chair
Board
memberBoard
memberBoard
memberTatsuroMinamiyama

Tatsuro Minamiyama (Executive Director of NPO Palette)

Naoko Taniguchi

Naoko Taniguchi (Director of Palette International Japan)

YoshikoSugahara
Masayuki
Taniguchi

Board
memberTomokoTakahashi

Tomoko Takahashi (Chair of “Service With”, an incorporated
non-profit organization for at-home welfare services)

Board
memberBoard
memberBoard
memberBoard
memberBoard
memberBoard
memberBoard
memberBoard
memberAuditorMinakoNishijima

Minako Nishijima (Former adviser at Japan Federation of Economic
Organizations for employment of people with disabilities)
Ichiro Miyazawa (Board member of incorporated non-profit
organization “Asanoha Network”)
Keiji Imai (Representative of incorporated non-profit organization“Shinagawa IT Supporters”)

Ichiro Miyazawa
Keiji Imai

Yoshiko Sugahara (Director of Ebisu Palette Home)
Masayuki Taniguchi (CEO/Chairman, TOKYOMOKKOSHO CO.,LTD)

Tomoko Konishi

Tomoko Konishi (Chair of the board, Palette Parents Association)

Masao Tsuji

Masao Tsuji (President, Artist Union)

Kaoru Maeda

Kaoru Maeda (Former president, Isetan related company)

Yukie Miyashiro
Yuichi Taguchi
Mei Yazaki

Yukie Miyashiro (Chair person, “School Facility for Public Use”
committee chair of Nagayado Elementary School in Shibuya-ward)
Yuichi Taguchi (Volunteer of “Tamari-ba Palette”, support member for
Palette Group Home “Ikotto”)
Mei Yazaki (Yazaki Certified Accountant Office)3◆Major Activities
Social gathering place where everybody cangather freely and find the new friends andpossibilities.
Vocational training workshops where people
with disabilities aim participate in society andbecome independent through the production andsales of cookies and cakes. (Vocational support
project “Type B” for sustainable workforce)
Palette Inc., through its restaurants, provided
the best foods and services through unified workof differently abled staff and foreigners.
Care home provides long-term, temporary, andcare services, and facilitates independent living
for the people with intellectually disabilities.
Place for international exchange, cooperationand development activities. Place for people withdisabilities in Sri Lanka to perform workthrough the production of cookies. Since 2010,
large confectionary manufacturing company has
established a cookie factory in Sri Lanka.
Palette’s staff and participants were hired as
founding members.
Housing where the differently-abled people(disabled and abled) live together. Provides agood option for independent living amongst
trustworthy human relationships.

Tamari-ba Palette (Palette Gathering Place)(1983-)Okashi-ya Palette (Patisserie Palette)(1985-)

Sri Lanka Restaurant Palette(January 1991 ｰ December 2012 closed)
Ebisu Palette Home
(1993-)

Palette International Japan(1999-)※Palette (Sri Lanka Palette 1999- August 2009closed)Palette House “Ikotto”(2010-)◆History and Timeline-

Launched on July 10, 1983.
Palette was established by like-minded volunteers from the “Ebisu Youth Classroom” (social skill
development class for people with disabilities) facilitated by Shibuya Ward Board of Education.
- The initial aim was to expand the circle of socialization and lifestyles for people withintellectually disabilities.
- Like the colors on a painting palette that mix together to create new colors, Palette strives tocreate new possibilities by bringing together diverse people with varying abilities.
Timeline of Palette’s History
January 1983
Set up the preparatory committee to establish theorganization.
July 1983
Tamari-ba Palette opened.
Established “Palette Wo Sasaeru Kai” (Palette
September 1983
Support Association).
Set up the preparatory committee to establish
September 1984
Okashi-ya Palette.
April 1985
Okashi-ya Palette opened.
Set up the preparatory committee to create a
January 1989
restaurant.
January 1991
Sri Lanka Restaurant Palette opened.
January 1993
Created “Ebisu Palette Home” project committee.
August 1993
Established the Ebisu Palette Home.
September 1998
Set up Palette project committee in Sri Lanka.
May 1999
Established Palette International Japan.
October 1999
Palette opened in Sri Lanka.
Attained incorporated non-profit organization
status in June of 2002 and changed the name toJune 2002“NPO Palette Inc.”
4

Closed Palette in Sri Lanka after the businesscondition worsened due to political instability.
Major confectionary manufacturer established anonprofit cookie factory. Palette staff and workers
with disabilities were employed as founding
members.
Set up“Palette House Ikotto”project committee.
Completed the “Palette Home Ikotto”.
Closed Sri Lanka Restaurant Palette due tomanagerial reasons.
Changed the Okashi-ya Palette designation to“Continuous Vocational Support Project Type B”
based on the Comprehensive Support for Persons
with Disabilities Act.
Certified Approved Specified Nonprofit
Organization

August 2008

January 2010
January 2009
April 2010
December 2012

April 2013

July 2013◆Contact and address➣Head Office
3-19-9 Ebisu East Bldg., 202, Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0011, Japan
Office TEL：03-5766-7302 / FAX：03-3409-3790
URL:http://www.r-palette.or.jp/
E-mail：palette@npo-palette.or.jp➣TamariTamari-ba Palette
3-19-9 Ebisu East Bldg., 202, Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0011, Japan
Tamari-ba Palette TEL：03-5766-7304 / FAX：03-3409-3790
URL：http://www.npo-palette.or.jp/tamariba/
E-mail：tamariba@npo-palette.or.jp➣OkashiOkashi-ya Palette
Ebisu East Bldg., 101, Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0011, Japan
TEL：03-3409-3774 / FAX：03-3409-3790
URL：http://www.okashiya-palette.or.jp/
E-mail：okashiya@npo-palette.or.jp➣Ebisu Palette Home
3-14-5, Higashi, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo, 150-0011, Japan
TEL：03-3407-6070 / FAX：03-3407-6070
E-mail：ep-home@npo-palette.or.jp

PLAY―Tamari-ba Palette【Overview of TamariTamari-ba Palette】
Palette】~ A place where everybody can get together freely and findthe new friends and possibilities~
Whether people with disabilities one can come to Palette toplay. Volunteers and users who gather in Tamari-ba makefriends and plan activities together. They are free to spend
their time doing fun activities — playing games, chatting,cooking, going outside, etc.
Cooking Event

Main Activity Schedule Every first Sunday of the month:
10:00am ~ 3:00pm (Subject to change)
Main Activities:
Activities Cherry-blossom viewing, ramen noodle tour,
cooking classes, karaoke parties, visiting amusement parks,
strolling in the neighborhood, games, and chats, etc.
5Ebisu snow Festival

Computer Class

Overnight Activities:
Mini-vacation (August) and Ebisu Snow
Festival (February) are very popular programs every year.
Participants feel like they’re siblings when they sleep over!
Palette Charity Bazaar：
Bazaar：More than 100 volunteers work together forthis annual big charity bazar. It is one of the crucial sources of funding
for Tamari-ba activity.
Club Activities (all year round)：Clubs
for sports fans, Japaneseround)
culture and foreign language study. We hold Classes of computer, Hip
Hop dance and Yoga. They are planned and managed by those whowant to participate. Of course, anyone can join.

WORK－Okashi-ya Palette/Sri Lanka Restaurant Palette

Okashi-ya Palette~Place~Place for people with intellectually disabilities to work
independently as a full member of society~society~“Okashi-ya Palette” and “Sri Lanka Restaurant Palette” support thesocial participation of people with disabilities Our current major goal
is for the workers to receive enough income to live independently inthe future by increasing production and sales. We are making various
efforts toward achieving this goal, through product improvement,
innovation and distribution channel expansion.

【Overview of OkashiOkashi-ya Palette】
Palette】
In the spring of 1985, Okashi-ya Palette, the vocational rehabilitation
workshop, was opened in Ebisu, Tokyo, for the purpose of fosteringsocial participation and independence for people with disabilities. The
workshop produces and distributes hand-made cookies and poundcakes. It offers employment support for those who wish to work forexternal companies.
【Business hours】: 9:00am ~ 5:30pm【Holidays】 Saturdays, Sundays,
and national holidays【OkashiOkashi-ya Palette
Palette Shop】
hop】

http://www.palettehttp://www.palette-ss.net/

Members ofOkashi-ya palette

You can purchase the Okashi-ya Palette products online.
You can also find entertaining content such as the video of surprise visit
to the store!

【Overview of Sri Lank Restaurant Palette (1991 – 2012)】
2012)】
Sri Lanka Restaurant Palette was an “Izakaya” or a tavern, mainly serving spicy original dishes and
Sri Lankan curry. An intellectually disabled person, an abled person, and a Sri Lankan person were
put together as a 3-person team. Palette Inc. managed the restaurant, and the restaurant operated
since 1991 in East Ebisu, Shibuya Ward.
For 22 years, the restaurant was patronized by many who valued us as a company that put disabled,
abled, and foreign workers together to pursue profitability. However, it was closed due tomanagement reasons in December, 2012. In the future, NPO Palette will rebuild the social
enterprise mission advocated by Palette Inc., and we will continue to innovate in this realm byhaving discussions among all stakeholders.

LIVE-Ebisu Palette Home/ Palette House “Ikotto”~ Independent and Community Based Living for people with intellectuallydisabilities~
Ebisu Palette Home and Palette House “Ikotto” aim to create a home that is a
restful haven for the residents, who naturally integrate into the local community.
The homes foster psychological independence for residents and encourage them toparticipate in local community.
6

Ebisu Palette Home is subsidized by the Shibuya Ward as a “Group Care Home”, one of the social
services based on the Independent Living Support for Persons with Disabilities Act. Along with agroup home, there is a temporary emergency care service for mentally disabled children and adults,
commissioned by the Shibuya Ward.

Overview of Ebisu Palette Home
“Palette wo Sasaeru Kai” (Palette Support Association), a
predecessor of NPO Palette, took the initiative to create a “Group
Home” that can facilitate disabled youths and adults to continue
living within their community. The proposal was based on the needs
expressed by the parents. Afterwards, Ebisu Palette home received a
subsidy from Shibuya Ward, and in August1993, it was established as
the second living dormitory in Shibuya Ward after the Hatsudai
Living Dormitory. In April 2009, it became a common living care
entity (Care Home), one of the disability social services based on the Independent Living Support for
Persons with Disabilities Act.
Max. Number of Residents: 6
Residency Criteria:
1. Basic requirement: a people with intellectually disabilities who is over the age of 15, living in
Shibuya Ward.
2. A person who is mostly independent in his/her living and is employedMonthly Residence Fee: 55,000 yen (Meal: 30,000 yen, Rent: 20,000 yen, Utilities: 5,000 yen)Supporters
Supporters: Four full-time staff, supplemented by substitute staff, dinner-cooking volunteers, etc.
Services Provided:
Meals, managing household finances, employment assistance, relationship advice, healthmaintenance, etc.

Emergency
mergency Temporary Shelter Program
About the Emergency Temporary Shelter Program (Commissioned by Shibuya Ward)
When guardians of a people with disabilities become unable to take care of him/her, Ebisu PaletteHome will temporarily take care of the people with disabilities.
Criteria:
Criteria:
people with intellectually disabilities who is over the age of 6 and is living in Shibuya Ward.
Capacity:
Capacity: 2 people
Duration of Stay:
Stay 7 days per stay, up to 6 times per year (negotiable depending on situation)
Use Cases – When a caretaker is unable to give care due to: illness, giving birth, attending
ceremonial functions, moving, taking a business trip, needing respite, etc.
Registration Steps:
Please register initially at the Shibuya Ward office in order to use the service of the Emergency
Temporary Shelter. Afterwards, go to the Shibuya Ward office during weekdays to reserve a spot, or
contact Ebisu Palette Home directly on weekends, holidays, nighttime, and in an emergency. Service
is free of charge, except for the cost of meal, transportation, and other incidental costs.

Overview of Palette House “Ikotto”
Ikotto”
Palette House “Ikotto” is a house where the differently abled(disabled and abled) people live together. Unlike a social services
institution, there are no professional caretakers. It is an innovativemodel program which goes beyond the traditional welfare model.
“Creating a House where People with or without Disabilities can Live
Together Comfortably”

1) The house facilitates independent living for people with disabilities
2) Each resident has his/her own bedroom, with a shared kitchen
kitchen and living room.
3) Communications between all the residents are encouraged, and the residents are empowered tochoose the way in which they live.
Building Type:Type Wooden construction (2 x 4 method), Three stories, Eight bedrooms
Gross Floor Space:Space Approximately 169 ㎡
Bedroom
Bedroom Space:
pace Approximately 6-tatami mat sized rooms (plus the storage space)7

Common Spaces:
Spaces Shared use of the bathroom, shower and washing machine.
On the first floor, there are the shared kitchen, living, and dining rooms, called “Iko-ma”.
Floor Plan:Rent:61,000-65,000
yen, 2-months rent deposit, no key money.
lan
Utilities are shared by residents.
Requirement:
Requirement Those who are employed and able to live independently.
No age requirements.
Construction Year:
Year April 2010

Management:
Management:
NPO Palette has a sub-lease agreement with TOKYOMOKKOSHO CO., LTD.
The residents sign a lease agreement with NPO Palette.
Now that the Palette house “Ikotto” has been built, the original planning committee and preparatory
workshop has transformed into a new volunteer organization “Ikotto Operations Committee” tosupport the management of Palette house Ikotto.
http://ikotto.npo-palette.or.jp/For more details, please see Palette House “Ikotto” website.
Services Provided by Palette Staff:
1. Operation assistance and support for self-management of Ikotto
2. Help and conflict resolution for residents
3. Inspect rooms upon residents moving out
4. Rent collection and management
5. Management of the keys
6. Public relations and advertising for Ikotto
7. Contract preparation and administration

Ikotto Operations Committee
Committee:
ommittee:
Purpose:
Purpose:
1. Support Ikotto’s operations in conjunction with Palette
2. Disseminate the mission of Ikotto to the general public
Role
1. Participate in the residents meeting if necessary, and provide other support (program promotion,
management)
2. Advise on public relations, seminars, programs

International Development Support -Palette International Japan
Global Expansion through Internatio
International Exchange, Collaboration,
Collaboration, and Development Support
Support ~We conduct the Palette International Exchange programs in order to expand our perspectives, notonly in the realm of social services, but in the realms of culture and society.

About the activity of Palette International Japan

Palette in Sri Lanka (1999~2008)~ Providing Workplace for People with disabilities in Sri Lanka ~We provide vocational technical support through providing workplaces for people with disabilities in
Sri Lanka (intellectual and other disabilities), where independent living for the people withdisabilities does not come easily. Through this program, the people with disabilities from “Okashi-ya
Palette” in Japan get an opportunity to contribute to society through pastry making.
On October 10th, 1999, we established the cookie factory, “Palette” (Sri Lanka Palette) in order toprovide vocational support for people with disabilities in Sri Lanka, in a town called Meegoda, 27km
from Colombo city. Mr. Dayasiri Warnakulasooriya, a ceramic factory owner, generously leased us apart of the factory land for free. Our factory produces and sells cookies, and employs 8 youths withphysical and intellectual disabilities.
In order to give technical assistance to the people with disabilities in Sri Lanka, two people withdisabilities from Okashi-ya Palette Japan left for Sri Lanka and performed social contribution andinternational support themselves. In June 2000, we started “Happy Palette”, a community hangout
to deepen the links with the local community.
Ten years after the launch, we have been distributing our cookies to local super markets in Sri Lanka
and customers were increasing. However, due to the worsening of political situation, the managerial
and financial situations got worse and we had to close down Sri Lanka Palette in 2009.
Then, in January of 2010, a major confectionary company in Sri Lanka established the first locallyincorporated nonprofit organization to create work for people with disabilities. Palette received
recognition for the pioneering work it has done, and all staff and disabled workers who worked for
Palette were employed by this new local non-profit organization. They are all working
enthusiastically.
8