A Gift from the Land of Sakura by Mr. Iyehezkiel Parudani, Indonesia

“Thank You God!”was the first thing I said a moment after hearing the announcement from The Japan Braille Library that I had successfully passed the selection for joining The Second Teruko Ikeda ICT Scholarship in 2005. I felt happy and touched all at once since I had become the representative of Indonesia in this prestigious annual event.

The Teruko Ikeda ICT Scholarship is an international level computer training course for visually impaired young people from South-East Asia organised by The Japan Braille Library in collaboration with the National Council For The Blind (NCBM) Malaysia. It is sponsored by Ms. Teruko Ikeda, a most successful entrepreneur from Tokyo, Japan.

At the start of the training, every participant received one laptop computer, one Braille Memo note-taker, and a daily allowance. All travel costs were also covered by the organising committee.

The initial phase of the training was an introduction to various kinds of computer hardware and software, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Internet Explorer, and instant messaging applications like Skype and Windows Messenger. This phase was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 15 to 20 August 2005. In the second phase held in Tokyo Japan, from 21 August to 18 September, we had more advanced level lessons such as how to install JAWS (screen reading software which allows a blind person to operate a computer independently), how to set up some applications, how to use Braille Memo (a note-taking device which uses Braille output), and so on.

Besides receiving computer training, I and the other four participants (Mabel Gaerlan from The Philippines, Peter Wasape from Papua New Guinea, Neera Adhikari from Nepal and Wang Qian from China) also joined some activities such as discussions about actual issues related to disability. The main topic was “Government attitudes to Disabled Community in General and the Blind in Particular in Developing Countries”. We also joined study programmes at some educational institutions for the disabled, and received dinner invitations from institutions and individuals. We also got the chance to visit some tourist attractions and entertainment spots in Tokyo.

Although Tokyo is a huge city with very heavy traffic, disabled people hardly have any mobility problems, since all infrastructure developments in the city are made accessible. For example, there are tactile lines on the pavements on many streets in Tokyo to help blind people move around safely. These tactile lines are found in all major towns and cities throughout Japan.

To prevent blind people from plunging into the gutters, the government covers all wide gutters in Japan with concrete caps.

Thanks to such innovations, blind people can be mobile and do their activities comfortably without worrying about getting lost or having a traffic accident. The government installs voice guidance systems and Braille signs at all public facilities, like airports, railway stations, post offices, public phone booths, ATM machines, etc. At all major crossroads, there are tactile indicators on the ground to enable blind people to cross the road by themselves. Two of these are at Itabashi Junction and Akihabara Crossing, both very famous shopping areas in Tokyo.

Wheelchair users can also easily access many buildings and public facilities thanks to ramps and elevators. The government consistently sets aside a large budget for the development and welfare of the disabled.

In short, I think that Japan is heaven for the disabled.

What impressed me the most was the hospitality, self-discipline, and consistency of the Japanese. If they promised to meet or pick us up at nine o’clock, for example, they would come before or at that time. In addition, discipline was also present at the dining table. We were not allowed to start eating before saying “Itadakimasu” (I receive), and we could not leave the table before saying “Gochiso sama deshita” (it was a treat). I was once criticised by Emi, the housekeeper at the place where we were staying, for forgetting to say these two phrases.