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News — 2015 Global Japan Certificate Program "Learning from Disability"

Monday, September 28, 2015

Learning from Disability July 24 — July 31, 2015
 
Introduction Schedule Details Photos Testimonials

7-day Certificate Program for Japanese Professionals

Program Report
Date
July 24 — July 31, 2015
Location
University of California, Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA, USA (Map)
The UCLA Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies is proud to announce the successful completion of our first Global Japan Certificate Program, “Learning from Disability.

The UCLA Terasaki Center developed this program to be a platform for training future leaders in Japan in the areas of diversity and inclusiveness. For one week, eight Japanese professionals from six different companies and universities came to UCLA to learn about how to create a society that is accessible for people of all abilities, and how to transform preconceptions of disability from “social responsibility” to “good business sense.”

The program consisted of four different components: Corporate lectures with American business professionals (AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton, PricewaterhouseCoopers), academic lectures with UCLA professors and senior attorneys in disability law, community lectures from organizations that provide services for persons with disabilities, and site visits around Los Angeles. Participants were able to speak with local people whose lives are affected by disability, think up their own universally inclusive company structure, meet a Special Olympics Global Messenger, attend the Special Olympics Opening Games, and much more.

9 am 10 am 11 am 12 pm 1 pm 2 pm 3 pm 4 pm 5 pm 6 pm 7 pm 8 pm
Day 1
Friday 7/24
Orientation 4:00 pm
Day 2
Saturday 7/25
Academic Lecture: Development & Demonstration of New Media & Communication Techniques for the Disabled 9:00 am
Lunch 12:00 pm
Site Visit: Getty Center 1:00 pm
Special Olympics Opening Ceremony 6:00 pm
Day 3
Sunday 7/26
Sightseeing (Freetime) 9:00 am
Day 4
Monday 7/27
Academic Lecture: ADA Overview 9:00 am
Academic Lecture: ADA Titles I & III 11:00 am
Lunch 1:00 pm
Academic Lecture: Employment Law 2:00 pm
Academic Lecture: Creating an Inclusive Society 4:00 pm
Day 5
Tuesday 7/28
Corporate Lecture: Employee Resource Groups & Mentorship Programs 9:00 am
Corporate Lecture: Hiring, Training, & Retention 11:00 am
Lunch 1:00 pm
Corporate Lecture: Designing Products & Services with Disability in Mind 2:00 pm
Meet Up Event: Japan Foundation 6:00 pm
Day 6
Wednesday 7/29
Half-day Workshop Series: Peter Wong, APCTC, JSPACC, & YLI 9:00 am
Lunch 1:00 pm
Academic Lecture: Accessibility on UCLA Campus 2:00 pm
Day 7
Thursday 7/30
Site Visit: Westside Center for Independent Living 9:00 am
Lunch 1:00 pm
Academic Lecture: Sports & Disability 2:00 pm
Watch the Games 3:30 pm
Farewell Dinner/Completion Ceremony 6:00 pm
Testimonials

About the Universally Accessible Park Tour

The tour was easy to understand because they explained all of the concepts and ideas that went into each design decision. When I told my coworkers in Japan about the park they were all impressed – they agreed that we need to make all of our products with these same thoughts in mind.  

 

あくまでも「自立すること」を重んじてサポートしていることについては、アメリカらしい考え方で参考になりました。

 

About the Corporate Lectures

I felt that this training is effective in teaching Japanese businesses and administrators the skills they need to begin hiring more employees with disabilities.

 

 

 

 

 

障害に対するマインドの改革の大切さが良く解りました.世の中の問題の大半は気の持ちようなのですよね。障害に関わらず広く必要な活動だと思いました。それを政府ではなく民間で力を持って活動する自立した考え方が良かったです。

 

 

About the program's English support

I appreciated the program’s support system of helping people who are serious about learning about disability but don’t have perfect English skills, and I would like to see it continue.

 

 

 

 

ひとつひとつの要素に込められた思いや考えをもって案内して下さり、分かりやすかったです。社内でこの公園についてシェアした時は、感銘を受けている人が多く、「このような考え方が全ての商品において必要だ」という声があがりました。

 

 

About the Westside Center for Independent Living

It was interesting learning about how America supports people with disabilities with the ultimate goal of “independence”.

 

これは、今後障がい者雇用を受け入れる日本の事業所でも管理職が身につけるべきスキルの具体的トレーニング方法として有効なのではないだろうかと認識した。

 

About the Community Lectures

I learned about the importance of changing people’s attitudes about disability. It really made me realize that the majority of the world’s problems come from the way people think about things. I think this is important in many more areas than just disability. I liked the idea of the community, rather than the government, coming together and taking action.

 

不十分な英語力でも、課題のテーマについて真摯に学びたい意欲のある人のために、サポートシステムがある本プログラムの姿勢を継続されることを願う。

 

 
Photos

Welcome Dinner

Academic Lecture - Miraikan

 Academic Lecture - Beth Ribet and Deborah Dorfman

 Site Visit - The Getty Center

Corporate Lecture - Emily Sylling, Booz Allen Hamilton

Community Lecture - Peter Wong, APIDC

Site Visit - Westside Center for Independent Living

 Site Visit - Santa Monica Universally Accessible Playground

 Site Visit - Accessibility Tour of UCLA Campus

 Certificate Ceremony and Farewell Dinner

 Keynote Speech by Jerry Kang, UCLA Vice Chancellor of Diversity

Academic Lecture - Miraikan

Academic Lecture - Beth Ribet and Deborah Dorfman

 Site Visit - Getty Center Accessibility Tour

 Community Lecture - Speaking with people affected by disability

 Guest Speaker - Joseph Gorin, Special Olympics Global Messenger

 Site Visit - Santa Monica Universally Accessible Playground

 Site Visit - Accessibility Tour of UCLA Campus

 Special Olympics Games -  Volleyball, Japan vs. Costa Rica

 Certificate Ceremony

In the summer of 2015, thousands of people from all over the world gathered in Los Angeles to participate in the 2015 Special Olympics World Games, an international sports competition for athletes with intellectual disabilities.

Looking to use Japan-US relations to increase Japan’s presence on the global stage, the UCLA Terasaki Center for Japanese Studies has developed a training program focused on “Learning from Disability”, consisting of lectures and workshops by American businesses proactive in disability inclusion, UCLA professors, senior attorneys, and professionals in Los Angeles-based NPOs.

This program was made possible by the generous support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Academic Lectures
UCLA academics specializing in the fields of Disability Studies, senior attorneys in Disability Law, and professionals working with NPOs provided lectures and workshops on a variety of topics concerning the Americans with Disabilities Act, universal design, sports, and disability in society.

  • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Overview
    Deborah Dorfman (Senior Attorney at the Center for Public Representation)
    & Beth Ribet (PhD, JD, Visiting Professor at UCLA)

    This lecture will give a brief overview of the Americans with Disabilities Act, including its history, main components, and meaning in American society.

  • ADA Titles I & III
    Deborah Dorfman (Senior Attorney at the Center for Public Representation)
    & Beth Ribet (PhD, JD, Visiting Professor at UCLA)

    This lecture will focus on Titles I and III of the ADA, which address issues surrounding the rights of people with disabilities in employment and the workplace and what legal responsibilities public spaces have to accommodate people with disabilities.

  • Sports and Disability
    Ariel Hernandez (PhD Candidate, UCLA)

    This lecture will talk about how sports can be a tool to empower people with disabilities and bring people from all abilities and backgrounds together.

  • Creating an Inclusive Society
    Deborah Dorfman (Senior Attorney at the Center for Public Representation)
    & Beth Ribet (PhD, JD, Visiting Professor at UCLA)

    This lecture will address the stigmas and challenges people with disabilities face in society, and then imagine a society in which all people have the right and means to live and work independently, without prejudice.

  • Accessibility on UCLA Campus
    Todd Lynch

    This lecture will serve as an introduction to UCLA campus and universal design. UCLA Architect Todd Lynch will also talk about the history of the campus, followed by a personalized tour that will show the ways in which UCLA campus strives to be accessible for people of all abilities.

  • Japanese Science Museum, Miraikan: Development and Demonstration of New Media and Communication Techniques for the Disabled
    Miyuki Tanaka (Miraikan Exhibit Development Department / Planner)

    This lecture will introduce research into new technology that is designed to aid persons with seeing and hearing difficulties, as well as the “Welcome! Navi”, a digital device the Miraikan is currently developing with Merrill Lynch for people with intellectual disabilities.

Corporate Lectures
The program featured lectures by American businesses that are leaders in inclusive hiring practices and designing accessible products and services.

Lectures were followed with time to talk directly with the speakers to promote discussion and network-building. Participating Companies: AT&T, Booz Allen Hamilton, PriceWaterhouseCoopers.

  • Designing Products and Services with Disability in Mind
    AT&T

    This lecture will introduce core concepts in designing products and services for people with disabilities and explain the business benefits of including the disabled into your company’s demographic.

  • Employee Resource Groups and Mentorship Programs
    PricewaterhouseCoopers

    This lecture will explain the concepts of Employee Resource Groups and Mentorship Programs, and provide companies with new ways of empowering current employees and potential hires through thinking about disability.

  • Hiring, Training, and Retention
    Booz Allen Hamilton

    This lecture will address the different steps necessary in successfully and productively hiring, training, and retaining employees with disabilities, from the selection process to educating able-bodied coworkers on how to make an open and friendly workplace.

Community Lectures
Community organizations involved in empowering people with disabilities, as well as community members who themselves are differently abled, came to speak about their experiences with disability in American society.

Lectures featured talks from community organizations such as Asian Pacific Islanders with Disabilities California (APIDC), the Youth Leadership Institute (YLI), and the Japanese-speaking Parents Association of Children with Challenges (JSPACC), as well as a special talk from a Special Olympics Global Messenger.

  • Socioeconomic and Cultural Barriers to Employment of APIs with Disabilities
    Peter Wong, APIDC

    APIs with disabilities face unique barriers to employment and services in addition to the obstacles faced by the general disabilities community. Dr. Wong will present original research on these issues, and touch on topics such as the model minority social construction, cultural stigma, and social isolation and how they express themselves in inhibiting Asians with disabilities from proper employment and social service access.

  • Community Members: Personal Stories
    Mariko Magami, JSPACC, Daphna Patel and Brian McGrath, APIDC Youth Leadership Institute

    This will be a chance for participants to hear real-world stories and experiences of those in the Asians with disabilities community. Participants will hear from the JSPACC (Japanese-speaking Parents Association for Children with Challenges) and from graduates of APIDC’s Youth Leadership Institute, all of whom have disabilities.

  • Guest Speaker: Special Olympics Global Messenger
    Joseph Gorin

    A former Special Olympics Athlete and current Global Messenger will join us to describe his experiences with disability, sports, and the Special Olympics. This is a great chance to see the positive ways in which the Special Olympics gives athletes and their families confidence, strength, and joy.

Special Olympics World Games 2015
Participants attended the Special Olympics Opening Ceremony and Games in order to fully experience the talents and abilities of persons with disabilities.

This year’s Special Olympics had over 7000 athletes from 170 countries gather in Los Angeles and compete in 25 different sports events. Half of the events were hosted on our very own UCLA campus. Participants attended the Opening Ceremony and watched some of the games being held on UCLA campus.

  • Special Olympics Opening Ceremony

     

  • Watch the Games

     

Site Visits
Participants traveled around UCLA campus and areas of Los Angeles that exemplify accessible, “Disability Friendly” spaces, such as local NPOs and public facilities. This gave participants the opportunity to see key differences between Japan and America.

  • Getty Center

    Participants will visit the famous Getty Center in Los Angeles to see how one of the most visited museums in the city has been designed to accommodate people with disabilities, as well as areas in which it could still be improved. This is a chance for participants to tour a museum in the mindset of a person with a disability, and think for themselves how they would want such a space to be designed.

  • UCLA Campus Tour
    Guide: Todd Lynch (Architect, Capital program UCLA)

    UCLA prides itself on having a campus that allows students, researchers, and faculty of all abilities to move around comfortably. However, there are still areas in which disabled students are unsatisfied with campus design. Participants will tour the buildings and open spaces around campus and discuss the meaning of disability-friendly design.

  • Westside Center for Independent Living
    Westside Center for Independent Living Director

    Participants will visit the Westside Center for Independent Living, located in Venice Beach, and see how the center assists people with disabilities in achieving independence, including training for employment.

  • Santa Monica Universally Accessible Playground
    Santa Monica City Architect, Jean Bellman

    Participants will be given a tour of Santa Monica's first Universally Accessible Playground by the very architect who designed it. This park was specially built so that children of all abilities can play together in a barrier-free space that is fun for everyone. Participants will even get the chance to try some of the park's features for themselves!