Abstract
Recently in Japan, we often hear the phrase バリアフリー
(Barrier-free), and many local governments try to make their
cities be more accessible for the people with disabilities. In order
to know the present condition and consciousness of people about
this trend, I did bibliographical and field research. In addition,
I pointed out the problem that the Japanese welfare system has by
comparing it with the more advanced situation of the accessible
environment in America.
Introduction
In recent years in Japan, we often hear the phrases バリアフリー
(Barrier-free) and 福祉の街づくり
(the city development for the welfare), and so on.
This shows we have begun to think that the society should be the
place where we all can live safely, comfortably and without anxiety.
But in reality, society has not changed yet; we tend to focus on
only the advanced aged people and don't notice the existence
of the people with disabilities.
According to Yoshihiko Kawauchi (1996), a chain
of バリアフリー (
Barrier-free) movements in Japan is supported by the fixed idea
that the people with disabilities are the weak and the society should
protect them. Therefore, the Japanese welfare system for the disabilities
is based on taking care, instead of making the most of individual
abilities. In addition, we don't have the laws that forbid the
discrimination against the people with disabilities. The rules that
a lot of cities competing with others enacting for the last few
years have only the regulations in designing public institutions
(p.191). In sum, we can say that in Japan, the people with disabilities
don't have the right to access the community.
By contrast in America, they have the law called ADA (Americans
with Disabilities Act) that prohibits American from discriminating
the people with disabilities. It is enacted for giving everyone
the equal opportunities to live his life regardless of his abilities.
Therefore, it's also called the civil law for the people with
disabilities. Under the influence of such ideas or the social system,
they have begun to work for building the accessible environment
and the idea of "Universal Design" has appeared. As Mace,
Hardie and Place argued (1990), "Universal Design that means
simply designing all products, buildings and exterior spaces to
be usable by all people to the greatest extent possible".
Method
In gathering information for this study, I engaged in both bibliographical
and field research. For this bibliographical research, I began with
a review of the recent literature (gathered from established scholarly
journals, the Internet) on the accessible environment. After choosing
the most relevant and significant sources for the accessible environment,
I evaluated these sources both for their general accuracy and reliability,
and for their critical assumptions and crucial information.
Besides bibliographical research, I also did field research by
conducting a survey. The survey consisted of ten questions that
require direct responses. (The findings from my survey will be presented
in the Results section of this study). The group I surveyed consisted
of thirteen college students from a university in Tokyo, Japan.
Results
According to the bibliographical research, the thought that the
people with disabilities are the weak and the society should protect
them is at the root of the Japanese welfare system. And because
of such idea, バリアフリー
(Barrier-free) movement is thought as a charitable
work (Kawauchi, 1996, p.187). On the other hand, in America that
is called the advanced country in the field of the accessible environment,
the discrimination against the people with disabilities is prohibited
legally and to access the community is thought as the right everyone
has (Abe, Ogawa, Kawauchi & Nomura, 1996). Under the influence
of such idea, the design that is usable or convenience for all of
the people has been proposed (Salmen, 1996).
In the survey, all of the students answered that they have heard
the word バリアフリー
(Barrier-free), and many of them said they were interested
in it. In addition, they didn't think that the society was doing
enough for the people with disabilities, and they said that because
of such situation, the people with disabilities couldn't take
part in the community.
The questions
1.Have you ever heard the phrase バリアフリー
(Barrier-free)?
Yes---13 No---0
2. Are you interested in バリアフリー (Barrier-free)?
Yes---8 No---1
Not sure---3
3. Do you think that society is doing enough for the people with
disabilities?
Yes---0
No---13 Not sure---0
4. Do you often see the people with disabilities around you?
Yes---9
No---4
5. Are there the escalators or elevators at the railroad station
that you often use?
Yes---11 No---1 Not
sure---1
6. Have you ever seen the non-step buses?
Yes---11
No---2
7. Do you think Chuo University is an accessible institution?
Yes---1 No---6 Not
sure---6
8. Have you ever walked with people who use wheelchair?
Yes---3 No---10
9. Do you think that people with disabilities can live independently?
Yes---4 No---4 Not
sure---5
10. Do you think that you have the possibility of having some
kind of trouble with your body in the future?
Yes---9 No---1 Not
sure---3
Discussion
According to the results of the survey, many people know and are
interested in the phrase バリアフリー
( Barrier-free) Not only the ordinary people but also the
local governments have been interested in it. In recent years
in Japan, many local governments tried to take out the barrier of
the public institutions like, buildings, parking lots, roads and
parks. What the local governments did at first was to establish
the rules; these are called 福祉の街づくり条例
(the rules for the city development that puts emphasis on the welfare).
As Kawauchi pointed out (1996), "When Japanese use the word
welfare, we think it means to give charity or relief to the weak,
like the people with disabilities. But originally, everyone
can use those kinds of public institutions regardless of sex, ethnic
backgrounds or disabilities; therefore it is no wonder for the local
governments to try to improve the present condition" (p.186).
In other words, to create the accessible city is not the charitable
work, but to give everyone regardless of the disabilities the right
to live, to choose his lifestyle and to access the society.
The problems Japanese welfare system has are that we don't
think to create the accessible environment is to give the right
to the people with disabilities and that we don't have the law
that prohibits Japanese from discriminating against the people with
disabilities.
By contrast in America, they have the law called ADA (Americans
with Disabilities Act) that forbids the discrimination against
the people with disabilities. According to Abe, Ogawa, Kawauchi
and Nomura (1996), it gives the people with disabilities the equal
opportunities of the employment. And it also says that institutions
of built by both public and private businesses; hotels, theaters,
restaurants, schools, and transportation system should be accessible.
Besides, it makes everyone included the people with hearing difficulties
have the information by the communication network (p.24).
What supports ADA is the movement for the independent living
by the people with disabilities. In this context, independent
means that a person has the right to choose and realize his lifestyle
and to do what he wants to do in the society (Abe et al., 1996,
p.16). In that movement, they established CIL (Center
for Independent Living). The people with disabilities
manage CIL in conformity such thought of the independent
living. The services CIL gives are consisted of four
main actions. First, they offer the information of the services
of housing, transportation system or employment. Second, it
gives the skill that is needed in independent living in the society.
And they give advises the people in the same situation, and last,
they assert their rights to live as same as the others in order
to make the society better.
What we should learn from the example of American social system
is that we see a person with disabilities not as an especial existence
that should be protected but as a person. And we should keep
working on the barrier-free movements that is took the lead by the
people with disabilities in order to create the cities where everyone
can live comfortably.
References
- Abe, S., Ogawa, N., Kawauchi, Y. & Nomura, M. (1996).
- Advanced Accessible Environment. Tokyo: Chuo-Houki
Press.
- Kawauchi, Y. (1996)
- Barrier-full Nippon. Tokyo: Gendai-Shokan Press.
- Mace, R. l., Hardie, G. J., & Place, J. P.
- Accessible Environments: Toward Universal Design. The
Center for Universal Design. Available http://www.design.nscu.edu/ |
-
- Salmen, J. P. (1996).
- Universal Design: Moving Beyond Accessibility. Universal
Design in Housing and Built Environment. Available
http://www.facilitinet.com/ |
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