We visited the Office Builing for Diet Members to have a lecture by Mr. Eita Yashiro, a former member of House of Representatives.
He is the first person with disability who became a National Diet member through “Send Wheelchair to the Diet” campaign in 1977. Since then National Diet Building became accessible for wheelchair users.
In 1999 he was appointed to Minister of Posts and Telecommunications.
Mr. Yashiro started his lecture with brief outline of Japan and moved to his personal history.
He forcused on how he struggled to accept himself being a person with disability.
Then he talked about how he involved in the disability movement in Japan and how he expanded the movement into Asia and Pacific regions. Seven participants were so empowered and at the end of the session four participants came to have a dream to be politicians near future.
Before closing the session we all sang “You’re my sunshine” as always.
(Lecture material : http://www.jicafriends.jp/leaders/gi2006/material/lecture/1110a/index.html)
