この記事は次の言語でも読めます：日本語
Thanks to my friend’s introduction, I got a chance to visit “Interact Center” in St. Paul, Minnesota where people with disabilities work on visual and performing art.
I could meet various kinds of disabled people such as down syndrome, deaf, blind, mental health, and wheelchair users.
They all welcomed me with beautiful smile.
Approximately there are 130 people are registered in Interact Center, and they would come here anytime they would like to depending on their schedule.
Their artworks are sold not only as painting, but also goods like mug cups at Interact Center and other shops.
50% of sales goes to the artist, and rest of 50% goes to Interact Center to so Interact Center can pay for the operating cost.
The operating cost includes brushes and paints, so the people with disabilities do not need to buy those tools by themselves.
The environment of employment for people with disabilities in the US has improved compared to the past.
However, there are still many people who work as a cleaner or staff at sheltered workshops, at where the working environments and salaries are usually not good.
Here at Interact Center, people with disabilities can make money with something they are good at.
Ms. Deborah Helmke showed me around in Interact Center.
She is also a wheelchair user like me.
She worked as a hair stylist before she became disabled at aged 38.
Although she needed to use a wheelchair, she thought “I should do something I really wanted to do!” and went to 4 years school with majoring psychology and art.
While working as a medical social worker after graduation, she fatefully met the future founder of Interact Center.
Furthermore, she was looking for an instructor who have an experience of working with people with disabilities and also can teach painting.
Ms. Deborah answered “I can do that job!” immediately.
I have introduced in this blog, but US has a law called ADA.
When Ms. Deborah had a disability, this law was effected almost same time.
Thanks to ADA, more places are being changed to be accessible and people’s mind are changing little by little and that made her barely think “I cannot go anywhere by myself.”
Sadly there are still places which are not accessible.
However in that case, she teaches the store owner saying “Do you know ADA?”
Message from Ms. Deborah:
We, American people with disabilities didn’t have power to speak out from the beginning.
ADA empowered us. After ADA was effected, people with disabilities are treated more equally in many situations.
However, still some companies hire them just for company’s brand image.
Working places and jobs opportunity available for them are still limited compared to those for non-disabled people.
I really hope more companies can focus on the applicants’ talents and abilities instead of focusing on their disabilities when recruiting new members.