So far I have seen some really good practice for visually impaired people in terms of braille on handrails and buttons (lifts & pedestrian crossings) everywhere we go, but I would be interested to know how many Japanese use braille to judge how useful it is in practical terms. Also - pavements and building walkways almost everywhere have a system of raised areas to communicate to visually impaired pedestrians where to walk safely without obstruction (raised lines) and where to wait (raised dots).
I've not seen any sign of a hearing loop system in any of the places that we've visited, including public areas such as the hospitals, police station and post office. Provision for wheelchair users appears to be mainstreamed in some ways, although I'm not sure that it's any better than at home. Access to some buildings, even public buildings, seems to be difficult, and the cultural system of most homes and workplaces having a small step (which you take your shoes off before going up) is obviously a difficulty that I've not seen anybody address yet.
The trains here are amazingly efficient and I've not had to wait more than about 10 minutes for one to arrive so there's not much waiting around. Wheelchair users are asked to notify the guards of their destination at the station that they start at, then a guard is there waiting at the designated carriage with a portable ramp to help with getting off. I've watched this happen a few times now and it's very slick with little fuss or attention paid. At an older station without a lift I watched a wheelchair user be transported down a long flight of steep stairs with a massive mechanical device. It seemed to be taking a while but everyone was very cheery about it with the guard, friend and person in the chair all chatting away while the descent was underway. I would have loved to take a photo of the contraption but I was caught in a massive commuter throng and couldn't stop to ask permission easily! Again - little attention was paid to what was going on so I figure that it must be a common sight in Japan because I've seen many wheelchair users out and about - but only in the cities, I've not seen anybody using a chair in the more rural areas that we've visited and getting up the steps to many of the Temples and Shrines would be impossible for many with mobilty restrictions, not just chair users.
We stayed in a communication centre which was specifically for disabled people, and they were obviously geared up for many types of disability, and had some innovative solutions like a double peephole on the hotel door, one at standing height and another at sitting height for chair users. Most places have a double lift call button system with one set of buttons set lower than the other to allow for easy access for anybody who is seated.
I asked for some details of what specific assistance was available at the large hospital that I visited, but couldn't really get a clear answer and I'm not sure if that was the language barrier or a desire to keep me in the dark! Essentially though I'm pretty sure that there's no special provision for non-Japanese speakers - if a member of staff has knowledge of the language needed then communication will be possible, if not then things will be difficult. They seemed to be saying that people with disabilities are not treated in mainstream hospitals, but I'm not sure that I understood correctly. I think that physically disabled people are probably treated for conditions within the main hospital network, but that mental health patients are kept within a seperate system. The first hospital that I visited was mainly mental health and it seems that there is potential for concern because they seem to have very high numbers of people admitted as day case or inpatients into the mental health system here.
I'm going to keep on looking and see what ideas I can bring home for implementation or discussion.
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