November 6, 2009 PM: Lecture: History and Current Situation of the Movement of the Deaf in Japan
Training Report - Leadership Development Course
Participants left Tokyo Metropolitan Support Center for the Deafblind for JICA Tokyo to have an afternoon lecture by advisor of Japan Federation of the Deaf.
To break the ice, the lecturer began his lecture with a joke. He first briefly explained about the main activities, major events, and achievements of the movement made by the Japan Federation of the Deaf.
Then he emphasized the biggest problem which persons with hearing impairment have been facing for long time is “communication” with other persons. Therefore, he's been working very hard over 30 years, to promote the training of sign language interpreter, and to expand awareness of importance of sign language interpreters in the society.
He concluded that sign language interpreters are not only for persons with hearing impairment, but they help persons without hearing impairment to communicate with persons with hearing impairment.
Participant asked many questions to the lecturer including how to master sign language, how persons with hearing impairment acquire the driver's license, and how to convince TV stations to provide caption and sign language interpretation services.
Some of the participants had a strong impression that Japanese persons with disabilities are very lucky since they're well taken care by the government, however, they realized through his lecture that the present situation of persons with disabilities in Japan was the result of long-term movements by persons with disabilities.
Participants were empowered a lot by the lecturer and they strongly felt that they could also get the same result in their countries if they worked hard like him.
