Employment of People With Disabilities - Moon Rider 7 Project

Talks about Employment for People with Disability in Japan with Rooted in Rights

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!

Employees with Disabilities Working Professionally at Store ~Costco Part 1~

The last company I visited in Seattle is Costco. The headquarters is located in Issaquah, which is 30-minute drive east from Seattle. I interviewed Brenda Weber, Assistant Vice President of Human Resource. At Costco, the vast majority of employees work at warehouses, which requires more physical movements as an essential function of the job. Those jobs might not link with employment for people with disabilities in Japan. However, Brenda estimates that there would be at least one employee with disabilities at each warehouse of Costco. Unlike Japan, US does not have a quota system for hiring people with disabilities. Then what kind of hiring process does Costco have to hire talented applicants including ones with disabilities?

All Employees Can Take and Expand Their Possibilities ~Amazon~

In Seattle, I visited a company which I cannot live without. It is Amazon. There are two big interesting findings at Amazon. First, is the procedure of providing reasonable accommodation, and the second is rich accessibility in internal training programs. At Amazon, I have found that there are various choices and opportunities that all employees can take and expand their possibilities. And of course, employees with disabilities are included.

Women and People with Disabilities Are Key Persons to Change A Working Environment

Being a person with disabilities may be a disadvantage in workplace. Being a women also may be too. Professor Lisa Iezzoni, whom I visited in Boston, works for the Massachusetts General Hospital, a major teaching affiliate of Harvard Medical School. She has multiple sclerosis and uses a wheelchair for all mobility needs. She shared her experiences of difficulties to build her career because of her gender and disability, and explained how change of law and education gave an impact to workplace in US.

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.

Do You Disclose Your Disability on Your Résumé? ~Boston Center for Independent Living Part 2~

To me, it is very normal to disclose my disability on my résumé because it is very common in Japan. However, I was shocked when I heard Sarah’s perspective about what résumé should be focused. In Japanese society, disclosing disability in job interview and carrying the ID for persons with disabilities are required. I am sure some Japanese people get benefits because of the system. But because of the system, I wonder if many people have incorrect assumption toward people with disabilities’ work performance and value of résumé. How do you think?

“Dignity of Risk” – Failure Helps People Grow Stronger ~Boston Center for Independent Living Part 1~

In Boston, I visited Boston Center for Independent Living and interviewed Allegra Stout and Sarah Kaplan. Through the interview, I became interested in Transition Internship Program which provides paid internship opportunities for high school students with disabilities. The internship sites vary, and include profit and non-profit organizations, local companies, educational institutions, and governmental agencies. The important point is that Transition Internship Program gives an opportunity based on what trainees want to do, not what they can do. What would be the reason for that?

How to Create Inclusive and Diverse Workplace Effectively?

The Ability For Success topic in April was “how to create an inclusive and diverse workplace effectively?” We have two guests from US this time. They share a similar goal which is to make the society a better place. Their motivations are different but equally inspiring. We discussed and exchanged ideas about the what the key elements are to create an inclusive and diverse working environment.

I Was Interviewed by “SoySource”, A Local Media in Seattle!

When I visited Seattle in February, I was interviewed by “SoySource”, a local media in Seattle. If you live in Seattle area, you can read the interview article in issue 504 which is released April 10th, 2016. You can also read it from SoySource’s official website! (Japanese Only)

Skills Developed by Disabilities Are Precious Assets ~Part 4~

The last report of Starbucks Headquarters visit. I had an opportunity to meet Jessica Rafuse who is manager within the Equal Employment Opportunity team at Starbucks. Jessica has muscular dystrophy and uses a wheelchair. To empower employment for people with disabilities, Jessica works with Starbucks business units to develop individualized hiring strategies. I often hear from US companies, including Starbucks that “hiring the very best person for the job” is first priority. A person with disability often develops a powerful strength, which is developed by the disability. Jessica gave an inspiring example.

On the other hand, it appears that Japanese companies has not yet realized and recognized persons with disabilities’ strengths. I see Japanese companies often remove people with disabilities from “the very best person” from the beginning of recruiting process.