Category: Independent Living

0635 (GMT +9): We had to wake up early today. Maejima-san was going to accompany us to Machida. We were warned that it could be cold. I had a simple breakfast of prunes, bread and Ensure, as usual.

Manganji Monorail Station

0830: The Sky train station is a stone’s throw away from the apartment. The wind was chilly. My hands were getting numb holding the camera.

0843: We boarded the monorail to Tachikawa-Minami. The snow-capped peak of Mount Fuji was visible in the distant. The blurred panorama outside the train was typical of most Japanse suburbs. The tallest buildings were no more than six storeys. Vegetable patches occasionally dotted the landscape.

0848: From the monorail station at Tachikawa-Minamai, we walked across to the Chuo Line Station. The 8-minute distance was all wheelchair accessible. It was a rather large and busy station.

White Backed Tickets Counter for People With Disabilities

0900: Wheelchair users had to report to the Chuo Line station master’s office. One station master accompanied us to the boarding platform. There was a difference of height between the platform and the train. The station master placed a foldable and portable ramp to allow s to get into the train.

0921: We got off at the Hachioji Station to catch another train to Machida. It has been such a long time since I have rode in a “real” train. It must have been at least thirty years ago since Dad and Mum took me on a train from Butterworth to Ipoh.

Machida Station’s first elevator built thirty years ago.

1011: The train finally reached Machida after a short delay. We got into a lift that appeared run down, one by one, to get to the upper floor. Tsutsumi-san was expecting us. She would be taking us on a tour of the Machida train and bus terminal, the topic for this field trip being City Plan and Design of Machida.

1048: After a briefing of the history of the Machida disability movement and how the city became one of the earliest and most accessible city in Japan, she lead us on a guided tour of the accessible facilities.

Street of Machida City, Tokyo.

1137: It was a beautiful day for a walkabout. The sky was as blue as it could be. The sun was shining bright. The roads were clean. Cars were not parked haphazardly. The walkways and roads were properly laid. There were no potholes. Walkways were wheelchair accessible.

1152: Siew Chin and Kim, her personal assistant, checked into a hotel. Harry, Calvin and I were to stay at the Machida Human Network Experience Room. It had to be this way because the Experience Room could only accommodate three persons.

Machida Human Network.

1237: We bought lunch boxes before proceeding to the Machida Human Care. It is a five-storey building, the fourth and fifth occupied by the Machida Human Care. The fourth floor housed the office and Experience Room, the fifth the meeting room.

Ai-chan with Yuri.

1417: After lunch and a quick introduction of the staff of Machida Human Network, the first session began with a presentation on the History and Activities of Machida Human Network by Ms. Yuri Yonezawa, Secretary-General of Machida Human Network.

1621: The Structure of Peer Counseling was presented by Ms. Mariko Ikeda and Mr. Shuntaro Tanikawa. It was an enlightening session as both Ikeda-san and Shun-chan shared how they had used peer counselling effectively to overcome their fears and lack of confidence.

1753: Harry, Calvin and I moved our belongings into the Experience Room. It had two beds and some simple furnishings. We were to spend the night there.

1829: Machida Human Network hosted a welcoming party for us at the meeting room. There were pizza, sandwiches and Japanese finger food. We had a fun time introducing ourselves and chatted freely about a variety of subjects.

Group photo with Machida Human Network staff.

2022: The party ended with group photos taken. I requested for and was provided with a line to log in. It felt good to be using a regular line to surf. The patchy wireless connection at the Hino Experience Room was a pain to use. When the office closed for the night, I turned on the WiFi, got a strong signal and was a happy camper.

Nakahara-san sharing with us about Peer Counseling.

It was a busy day today. We sat through four sessions of lectures at the Human Care Association at Hachioji. The lectures were What is Peer Counselling by Nakahara-san, Needs of People with Intellectual Disabilities and Support for Them by one of the Human Care Coordinators, Needs of People with Psychiatric Disabilities and Support for Them by Takezawa-san and Support Services of IL Centre by another Human Care Coordinator.

This familiarisation of the various disabilities made us understand those apart from our own. Although the characteristics of our challenges are different, the issues we face are similar. Prejudice, discrimination and lack of support are obstacles that prevent us from being included into mainstream society.

Darkness descended upon the evening fast and early. It was already dark by 5.30pm. When we left Human Care Association, freezing wind chilled us right into the bones. I had to wear gloves to keep my hands from getting numb. It was impossible to hold the camera, let alone press the shutter.

When we reached the apartment, the digital display by the side of the road showed 2C. The temperature has been creeping down 1C each evening. It was really cold. I could feel the frostiness bite into my exposed cheeks. As we were relaxing, the power suddenly went off. Calvin tried to reset the circuit breaker but could not. We could feel cold slowly invading the apartment. The phone did not work too. There was no choice but for Calvin to go out and summon for help from the CIL Hino staff. Fortunately, Saito-san, the CIL Hino staff, came quickly and restored the power to the apartment. We wonder what would have happened to us if we have to sleep without the heater.

The dry winter air caused my nose to bleed. Although it is not acute, the discomfort prompted me to start wearing masks. Each time I exhale, the warm breath, escaping from the gap between the nose and the mask, fogged up my glasses. Even so, the mask protected the chilling wind from my face. I may use nose drops if the problem persists.

We went on our first home visit to a person with disabilities practising Independent Living. Ms. Kato has cerebral palsy and communication impairment. She had lived in an institution for twenty years. It was only recently, January 10 to be exact, that she began living independently. Japan has a system of grading the severity of an impairment in order to provide the aid required. Ms. Kato is categorised at 1, the most severe degree of impairment. She has been preparing for independent living for three years and has now succeeded in realising that ambition. Her Personal Assistants (PAs) work on three shifts 24 hours a day assisting her. We left her house, awed by her fortitude in self-determination.

Our next destination was the Centre for Independent Living Hino (CIL Hino). Ms. Hiroko Akiyama was waiting to have lunch with us. We boarded a train at the Keio Seiseki-sakuragaoka Station to Takahatafudo where the CIL Hino is located. I had pasta salad, burdock and pumpkin tempura and fruit juice. It was good to be eating together with the staff of Hino CIL. Although language was a barrier, their friendliness and graciousness more than warmed our hearts on this cold day.

Ms. Kaoru Ito gave us a lecture on Support for the Empowerment of PWD. She is blind. We spent two hours with her, learning about the various tools used to empower people with disabilities. The next session, titled Overview of IL Centre – History of CIL Hino, was presented by Mr. Fuji and Ms. Akiyama. They shared with us how the CIL Hino began and the types of services they provide.

We had a group photo taken after the lecture. When we got out from the Centre, it was already dark although it was only 6.00 pm. It was cold. My hands, as usual, were freezing. It would have been difficult to hold the camera, let alone press the shutter button with gloves on. I went looking for a public phone to call Wuan but none was in sight. Those available at the train stations only accepted phone cards. I will try to look for a phone at Hachioji tomorrow.