Page 19 - Community Living Magazine 33-4

living a life

Exchanging experiences; self-advocates (below left and right) tell their
stories; crafty cats made at a centre (opposite, below)

I saw inspirational work by family attached to being disabled. This concept
members, such as Azusa Omori’s i-LDK of a burden harks back to attitudes in UK
Super-College, set up to help young in 1980s. It felt uncomfortable to me.
people gain life skills, which plans to train One impressive aspect of Japanese
businesses about diversity, deploying their provision was that the government
young self-advocates. Sibling advocacy provides a safety net of financial and
was gaining momentum too, with people social care support (subject to eligibility)
using social media to share stories and without the constant battles we have in
support. Arts-based initiatives such as the UK. There is an extensive network of
Tanpopo No Ye and The Good Job! Centre day services and group homes in place,
Kashiba provided high-quality, creative although Japan does not have a model of
work opportunities. supported living.
I met a representative of PandA-J, an Families had developed service
organisation that provides information provision and advocacy before the state not belonging to several audiences,
and training on human rights and abuse stepped in. This struck me as a similar including 60 trainee social workers. Many
prevention to professionals and path to the UK’s, although self-advocacy students said that hearing this enabled
parents. Japanese families we met were has yet to gain momentum in Japan. In them to understand the meaning of
shocked to learn about the human rights contrast, we are witnessing state- belonging for the first time. Other people
abuses of people with learning disabilities supported services being rolled back in with learning disabilities in Japan have
in secure assessment and treatment units the UK, with some advocacy groups and since requested that they too be
(ATUs) and the effects of austerity on families stepping into the gaps. supported to tell their life story, inspired
disabled people and their families in I returned from Japan believing more by his account.
the UK. than ever that we need to challenge the Our Anglo-Japanese partnership is
destructive impact of austerity on the looking to build on the exchange visits
lives of people with learning disabilities through further work on life stories.
and their families. The UK benefits system Japanese colleagues are hoping to start
should exercise the same level of work on this for the first time. In the UK,
flexibility afforded in Japan, allowing life stories have been collected since the
people to retain benefits while being paid 1960s, but what is less well established is
to gain skills. We can learn to be their use within services. As a result of
ambitious about creating jobs and the impact of telling Davies’s life story in
partnerships with businesses and the Japan, we want to find ways to embed
public sector. We can save money and them as a foundation for genuine
stress on endless reassessments when we personalisation.
all know learning disability is not We feel privileged to have
something that is cured. And we need to had this opportunity to gain
value people again. an insight into Japanese
Highlights for me included watching advocacy and social
Health inequalities exist in Japan as in Shun Omori gain confidence from meeting policy. It has given us
the UK. Families shared similar concerns Ian Davies and being a member of the new ways to look at
about the abuse of people with learning team. His mother said this research what’s going on at
disabilities, particularly after the massacre experience had encouraged him to start home. Altogether, it
of 19 disabled people at a specialist making more choices about his life. Telling was an immensely
facility in 2016 (the 26-year-old his story about his work at the i-LDK Super rich learning
perpetrator said afterwards that “it is College and showing us how to travel experience. n
better the disabled disappear”). around Japan using Google maps on his
smartphone had helped Shun to feel like Jan Sunman is a family carer
Stigmas and safety nets he geniunely “belonged” in our team. and advocate who is
Fujino had carried out research on the One of the most valuable parts of the passionate about rights and
Ivor Sunman impact of having a disabled relative, and project was the power of being able to services for people with learning
disabilities and families. Additional
tell your own story. Davies shared his
referred to the “family burden”,
reporting by Liz Tilley and Jan Walmsley
suggesting that there was still a stigma
life story with the theme of belonging and
www.cl-initiatives.co.uk Community Living Vol 33 No 4 | Summer 2020 19