Busan World Disability Conference 2023
Participated in the World Conference on Disabled Persons held in Busan, South Korea.
The theme of the conference is “The Global Transformation Agenda: Current Challenges and Opportunities!”
From Japan, everyone from the DPI Japan branch, as well as national disability organizations, were in attendance.
Other booths sold products in the disability and medical fields and exhibited art. Be fascinated by the many wonderful works of art.
I would like to learn about the world's cutting-edge disability welfare and bring it back to Japan to promote inclusion in Japan.
A special needs education program established by the European Union after two educational reforms in 2005 and 2013. Denmark promotes inclusive education based on the philosophy that "every child has the right to participate." The school I visited this time, introduced by the Danish Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (Ministry of Education), is the center of Copenhagen's public schools.
The vice principal in charge, Kirsten Hanne Hansen, is a leading expert on inclusive education from Denmark, who participates in EU and Nordic education conferences, and it was a great learning experience. I learned about the current situation of inclusive education (integrated education) in Denmark.
"We don't think about what one person or a small number of people can do. We value more than anything how we can connect with society and many others." I felt that the ideal system was here. I was surprised to hear that integrated education in Denmark was initially promoted with financial considerations in mind. It is true that in a separated environment, the economic burden on the hardware side is large. What about the soft side? Integrated education based on the concept of ``child-centered'' places emphasis on the following:
1. Listen to the voices of the children and decide everything.
2. Children develop their own strengths
3. Close cooperation with parents and outside parties
4. Share information with all parties involved (siblings of children with disabilities also participate)
As a result of doing what may seem like a difficult task on a daily basis, the teachers' work became more efficient. Of course there are challenges. I was told that this is to support children with severe disabilities. Two things became clear this time. Inclusive education (integrated education) is about drawing out and nurturing a child's ``zest for life.'' This means that it is suitable for building a sustainable society from both hardware and software perspectives. Although it is still unknown to what extent this can be achieved in Japan, I would like to thank you for giving me an idea of what it should be and a goal to work toward.
Taiwan (Tainan/Taipei) From the south to the north of Taiwan
Visited the headquarters of Taiwan's largest organization for people with disabilities, the Chinese People's Association for Wisdom People with Disabilities. This is a federation of parent associations for people with intellectual disabilities. Visit the "Exhibition (Art Exhibition) by People with Intellectual Disabilities", the first collaboration between the government and your organization in Taiwan, at the Tainan Art Museum. There were so many wonderful works, it was truly a sight to behold. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved. We will continue to work hard to create a bridge between "children with disabilities in Japan and children with disabilities around the world" and contribute to the creation of an inclusive society in the international community.
Tainan City Art Museum
https://www.tnam.museum/
Visiting a school for visually impaired children
The school, which was established 70 years ago, currently enrolls 100 elementary school to high school students. It is the only school for the visually impaired in Bosnia. (It was rebuilt after being completely destroyed in the war 20 years ago.) Here, people practice to improve their eyesight. Also, most students are learning Braille.
After graduation, she will likely work as a physical therapist, telephone operator, business secretary, or product packer. The problem with the current school is that there is no way to inform all the visually impaired children living in Bosnia that this school exists.
There is no government (board of education) in Japan. The biggest problem is the lack of information. The school's programs and textbooks are written in Braille, and I decided to take this visit as an opportunity to study Braille. I felt that learning Braille would enable me to interact with more children. What I felt while meeting many children this time was that the more I grow, the more I can do and be useful to others. I have engraved it in my heart that I will always grow.
【Bosnian School for the Visually Impaired】
Centar za slijepu i slabovidnu djecu i omladinu Sarajevo Ramiza Salčina 6, 71000 Sarajevo
http://www.czsd.edu.ba/new/
Visited a special needs school in Berlin, the capital of Germany. It is the oldest special needs school in Berlin, with a history of 111 years. In this article, I would like to write about two things that I found very wonderful while experiencing the school's initiatives and environment.
・There was a nursing care vocational school within the special needs school. Students studying nursing care interact with children and students with disabilities on a daily basis.
・There is a regular elementary school attached to the special needs school, and there is an environment where children can play together on the field during recess.
However, there are also challenges. "Students with disabilities are sometimes bullied by regular elementary school students." How are you solving it? asked the teacher. "We do events together. By doing events together, we have more opportunities to get to know each other."
I think so too. That's why I started an inclusion festival in Japan, and I was able to talk to him about it. First of all, get to know each other. And to acknowledge each other. Make the most of each other! I have renewed my resolve that inclusion efforts are the way to create such opportunities. We were very grateful to receive a positive response from a special needs school in Berlin, saying, "Let's create art together!'' Let's do our best to create global inclusion!
【special needs school in Berlin】
Biesalski SchuleHüttenweg 40,14195 Berlin-Zehlendorf
http://biesalski-schule.de/
210 students
England is the birthplace of inclusion. This time we visited the Center for Children with Down Syndrome in Leeds.
We will be showing the children's classes and inviting them to hold art exhibitions by children from around the world.
We also visited a company near the center and learned about employment of people with disabilities in the UK.
I felt that there are similar issues as in Japan when it comes to efforts to employ people with disabilities at companies.
I felt that I wanted to increase the opportunities for people with disabilities to play an active role in the local community.
Although they are in a different country, I was very moved by the people at the center who are striving every day to "create opportunities for people with disabilities."
Down Syndrome Training and Support Service Ltd.The Pamela Sunter Centre, 2 Whitley Street, Bingley, West Yorkshire, BD16 4JH
http://www.downsyndromebradford.com/
Visited Helen Keller School (school for children with physical disabilities) in the Republic of Malta.
It was a very grateful visit, with Ambassador Andre and the mayor also in attendance.
They carefully taught us about the situation at school and for people with disabilities in the Republic of Malta. thank you. Art made from toilet paper rolls will be delivered to the festival. Thank you very much for your wonderful work! During his next visit to Malta, he plans to learn about employment for people with disabilities.
Helen Keller Resource Centre
Triq iz-Zghozija Qrendi
We visited APTERS, an organization for people with disabilities, located in a corner of the Zambia Teaching University Hospital, located in the center of Lusaka, the capital of the Republic of Zambia.
Established in 1990 by the wife of the British ambassador who was visiting Zambia at the time. Since there was no support system for children with disabilities and there were no jobs for people with disabilities at the time, it was established as a place to provide jobs. The company started its business by making chairs out of special paper for children with disabilities who are unable to sit or walk.
Although they receive subsidies from the government, there are financial issues, so they are selling chairs to pay the wages of their staff. Since 85% of the families of children with disabilities do not have the financial means to buy a chair (without government assistance), the challenge is how to support them. Africa has a huge gap between rich and poor. Although he has just started working towards improving the welfare of humanity and has faced many challenges, he vows to start by doing what he can, step by step.
「APTERS」
university Teaching Hospital
UTH Nationalist Road
Po. Box 82 LUSAKA Zambia.
Visited a medical foundation for children with physical disabilities. There are currently 91 people enrolled between the ages of 5 and 21. All children are in wheelchairs. Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, so I was moved by the gift of handmade flowers. thank you❣️
We have received a positive response regarding the collaborative art produced at this year's Inclusion event, and we promise a long-term relationship.
・Further friendship between Indonesia and Japan
・Improve both countries through welfare
Let's continue to move forward with the above goals!
YPK Bali http://ypkbali.org/
Visited America for about 10 days in 2018. I had the opportunity to learn about the laws and systems surrounding disabilities in the US state of California, as well as education for children with disabilities.
We attended the "Parents Holding Hands'' group of (Japanese) parents of children with disabilities living in Los Angeles, and visited medical institutions. In California, for the first time in 30 years, there has been a major reform of laws related to disabilities, and facilities (business establishments) for people with disabilities have been abolished! !
Visits continued from Tokyo → Los Angeles → Portland → Colorado Springs → Winnipeg (Canada) → New York. During his 10-day stay in the United States, he landed on Canadian soil more than 10 times. Winnipeg, a city in Manitoba, Canada. Learn about human rights around the world here. There is a national human rights museum that is probably the only one of its kind in the world. You can see exhibits about human rights from all over the world. discrimination based on race, discrimination based on gender, discrimination against indigenous peoples, etc. Human rights and inclusion!
In 2019, participated in the Berlin 1 Million People Carnival. When I visited Germany, my interpreter was a dance teacher, and the opportunity developed into something like this. As a result, a team of approximately 100 people participated in the event to promote inclusion in Berlin.
The Mt. Fuji art in the photo was created in Japan and brought in with us. I hope that further international exchange and collaboration between Berlin (Germany) and Japan will continue under the banner of inclusion.
Visited a special needs school. The main thing this time was an art request. By holding an art exhibition of children with disabilities around the world, this is an initiative to take a step towards realizing a cohesive society. During my visit, I was able to hear about issues surrounding inclusive education in Denmark, which was a great learning experience. Later, the Danish children's art arrived safely in Japan, and we were very grateful.
Storebaeltskolen
Storebelts Erhvervspark 1, 4220 Korsør
Visited a center for children with disabilities that operates mainly in Geneva, the capital of Switzerland. Make a request regarding the “Inclusion Art Project”. The children will be asked to send in the works they draw during the summer camp held from July to August every year. Big thanks! We pray for the success of children with disabilities around the world through inclusion initiatives.
「ASK ALL SPECIAL KIDS」
GPS address: 1 route des Morillons – 1218 Grand-Saconnex
http://www.allspecialkids.org
Visited a vocational school for people with disabilities. There are 90 people between the ages of 15 and 21. If you are unable to find work at a company after graduation, you can work on a project within the vocational school. The project covers 6 areas. There are flowers, food, data entry, etc. Although the school's operations depend on subsidies from the government, I have heard that they are trying to make up for the shortfall through projects, so I am thinking about what I can do for international development through welfare in the future. It was one o'clock.
Sarajevohttp://strucnoobraz.edu.ba/
4 hours one way by car from Denpazar Airport. Visited schools for children with developmental disabilities. There are 36 people between the ages of 4 and 17. Since it was St. Valentine's Day, we all danced after class! Nowadays, as we continue to visit countries, we come into contact with the culture and customs of each country and learn a lot, and we all share the same feeling of wishing for the happiness of children in any country.
Tsaki-tari-us on Bali Hati foundationJalan Toya Anakan IVB no.1,Desa Baktiseraga,Singaraja,Bali.
There are currently 40 children with intellectual disabilities between the ages of 7 and 40 enrolled. I was surprised by the wide variety of curriculum, including outdoor activities in the forest, teaching how to make wigs, yoga, computers, and art. I learned how to tell children, "It's okay if your children say it's difficult. You can do it!''
sarihatischool
http://sarihatischool.strikingly.com/
Visited a special needs school for students from kindergarten to vocational students. There is also a dormitory attached to the school, where about 30 students live. When I saw the school's curriculum and after-school activities, I felt that children were thoroughly encouraged to "acquire skills" from an early age. I felt that precisely because it is a country with a high unemployment rate, there is a clear environment and way of thinking that leads or encourages people to become "independent."
http://www.zavodmjedenica.ba/
Hidden voice school
Children with disabilities from 6 to 24 years old are enrolled. The curriculum mainly includes sports, art, and cooking. I would like to take up computer learning, but my problem is that I don't have enough money to purchase one. The biggest challenge faced by families with children with disabilities is that their parents often divorce (leaving the father alone), and the child becomes a single parent, so the family does not have much time to spare. Parental support is necessary, and for this purpose, I feel it is essential to create an international network, spread the word about inclusion, and work toward comprehensive independence.
Bauleni special school
Students from kindergarten to third grade of junior high school are enrolled. (Out of approximately 880 children, 130 were children with internal disabilities). There is a school for healthy children and a special needs school. The teachers come from the Ministry of Education, but the school is run by a private organization. Skill classes include woodworking, farming, and knitting. You can also learn to cook in the food and nutrition class. The problem is that there are no buses. Through my visits to support schools, I strongly feel that there is a need for an international network to improve welfare for people with disabilities.
473A Leopards Hill Road P.O Box 51448 Ridgway Lusaka, Zambia
We also visited a special needs school. Established in 1971. We provide comprehensive education for children with various disabilities (autism, cerebral palsy, ADHD, etc.) between the ages of 5 and 16. There are 260 students enrolled, 26 classes, and 48 teachers. A school under the Ministry of Education. The current issue is that there are no school buses for children with disabilities who commute from far away. The theme is "independence". I felt that they share the same purpose as they provide a variety of programs and focus on helping children with disabilities find work.
「UTH special school」university Teaching Hospital
UTH Nationalist Road Po. Box 82 LUSAKA Zambia.
