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A Place to Know More About Ability
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.
It has been 1 month since Sagamihara stabbings. This news shook not only Japan but also the world. After thinking “What I can do as a Japanese with disability?” , I decided to collaborate with Rooted in Rights (*) to create a clip about disability rights of continue living. Living is a basic human right. Everyone gets the right to continue living. People with disability do as well. Please check the clip out from here. You are welcome to share the clip to spread the word and defend human rights.
1 and half year ago, I was selected as a fellow of Duskin Ainowa Foundation, and I joined their lecture to learn about the history of disability movement in the US. I spent 2 years in the US for college, so I knew the accessible environment for wheelchair users as well as that disabled people live actively in a community. However, I am ashamed to say that I didn’t know the historical background of disability movement. This time in Washington DC, I had a precious opportunity to meet Judith Heumann, who is one of the key persons of disability movement in the US. She is a special advisor for international disability rights at U.S. Department of State.
The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has 53 offices across the country, and is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person’s race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. When you experience discrimination by an employer, you can contact the nearest EEOC office and file a charge (complaint) so that EEOC can investigate the discrimination and, in some cases, sue the employer if the issue cannot be resolved. EEOC Headquarters is located in Washington DC, and it was an honor to meet Peggy Mastroianni, Legal Counsel.
The Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) in the U.S. Department of Labor is working to develop and influence policies and practices that increase the number and quality of employment opportunities for people with disabilities. I had the opportunity to interview three people at ODEP. The first person I would like to write about is Jennifer Sheehy, Deputy Assistant Secretary.