October 28, 2008 : Accessibility Check in Tokyo Metropolitan City
Lecture : “What is Personal Mobility ?”
by Transportation Affairs Officer,
Japan National Assembly of Disabled People's International
Training Report - Leadership Development Course 2008
Do people with disability in your country go to where they want to go, when they want to go, in a way they want to go ? Or do they only go to where they CAN go ?
In this morning, the participants were divided into 3 groups for accessibility check of transportation and building in Tokyo Metropolitan City. They left JICA Tokyo heading for 3 different famous sites in Tokyo as below.
Group 1: Ferris wheel “Big O”
Participants from Malawi, Sri Lanka, and Philippines
Group 2: Roppoongi - Tokyo Midtown
Participants from Laos, Jordan, and Kazakhstan
Group 3: Hachiko (Statute of Japan's Most Faithful Dog)
Participants from Costa
Rica, Uganda, and Turkey
While heading for the destinations, they checked various barrier-free facilities and devices provided for persons with disabilities. All participants were very much impressed about train staffs who came down to a platform with a portable ramp to assist wheelchair users. At the station where they get off, the train staff there was already waiting with a portable ramp ready to provide assistance. Very good communication between stations !
Today the participants were blessed with beautiful Japanese autumn weather and they enjoyed their tour.
In the afternoon, Transportation Affairs Officer, Japan National Assembly of Disabled People's International (DPI-Japan), gave an explanation of each barrier-free facility, by looking at photos taken during the accessibility check this morning.
Then he raised two questions to the participants: (1) Why is it important for persons with disabilities to be able to go anywhere they want ? (2) If persons with disabilities don't have personal mobility, what rights will they be deprived of ?
He lectured about the brief history of making transportation accessible in Japan by taking about his involvement and achievement. The participants shared their ideas of personal mobility and how it is related to other spheres of life such as education, social life, employment as well as psychological aspects.
Lecture material :What is Personal Mobility ?
Through the accessibility check and the lecture, the participants could understand the importance for persons with disabilities to be able to go to places they want to go or need to go.
