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A Place to Know More About Ability
Rooted in Rights, an advocate group of human right for people with disability, invited me to feature in their filming projects in February when I was in Washington interviewing Disability Rights Washington. I grabbed the chance and said yes right away! I am very lucky to have this opportunity to talk about the employment-related challenges people with disabilities faced in Japan. Through working with Rooted in Rights, I shared the issues in Japan that I have noticed and my vision to change that.
The film was just released yesterday. You can watch it here!
The last person I visited was John Kelly who is a well known disability advocate in Boston. 32 years ago, he had an accident and became a quadriplegic. He was 25 years old at that time. It was a huge adjustment for him since he lived as an bodied person for a long time.
After I heard his very active history, I asked a question which I have been wondering for a long time. ” Why does US have so many disability advocates?” John shared his theory with me and explained the history and culture that have affected to the US today.
The hotel I stayed in San Diego in March is “The Sofia Hotel.” I chose this hotel because of its location, walking distance to the conference palace where I attended, also its decent price. As I requested, the hotel assigned me to an ADA room which is wheelchair accessible room, so I’m going to introduce the room’s facilities!
Continuously on the Starbucks report, I interviewed Ms. Marthalee Galeota who is a manager, Equal Opportunity Initiatives and is also a nationally certified American Sign Language interpreter. Marthalee is like a professional “bridge.” She serves as an internal consultant sharing her subject matter expertise on new and existing initiatives, and also dedicates her efforts for Starbucks customers with disabilities by improving customer service and accessibilities at store.
In Seattle, I have visited Disability Rights Washington, a private non-profit organization, and the designated protection and advocacy agency. Today, in the US, many people with disabilities have equal opportunities to receive general education and work in various fields. However, equal opportunity doesn’t exist from the beginning. It is earned by brave advocates speaking up for people with disabilities. Part of the history is sad. Disability Rights Washington not only provides litigation support, but also have implemented interesting projects to raise awareness of people with disabilities.
