Part II – Is It Right to Require Wheelchair User Customers to Pay More for Wheelchair Accessible Seats?

Part II – Is It Right to Require Wheelchair User Customers to Pay More for Wheelchair Accessible Seats?

After talking with the customer service of the musical play service provider yesterday, I spoke with a friend who is familiar with law and found the service provider is not compliant with the Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities. After I messaged to the theater about this, I got a reply from them.

San Diego Has the Best Trolley System for Wheelchair Users!

San Diego Has the Best Trolley System for Wheelchair Users!

When I visited San Diego, I was so impressed by the trolley’s system. In Japan, most of the train and subway have a gap between a cart and a platform. Therefore, at first Moon Riders (wheelchair users) would need to ask a station staff to bring a mobile ramp to help Moon Rider passengers board the train. The station staff would then contact another station, where the passenger gets off and make sure that another mobile ramp can be ready by then for the passenger to get off the train. After this process, the passenger finally can get on a cart. It might take more than 10 minutes to take train if a station is big and busy. The trolley in San Diego, however, is very easy. It is the best system for Moon Riders!

Attended at International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference

Attended at International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference

In late March, I attended 31st Annual International Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference in San Diego. At the conference, you can find the latest technology service and products which support and maximize abilities of people with disabilities in daily life, at school, or workplace.

At first, I was only planning to go there as an attendee. However, Sheryl Burgstahler who is a director of DO-IT Program in University of Washington (Interview report is here) asked me to give a presentation with her. DO-IT Program has been implementing locally in Asian countries including Japan. At Sheryl’s session, I got 15 minutes to talk about education and employment environment for people with disabilities in Japan.