A recent government survey has found that nearly 90% of people who live in Japan feel that not only does discrimination and prejudice affect people with disabilities in the country but also that it continues to persist despite attempts made by the government to prevent this from occurring.
The survey that found these results was conducted in 2022. The report showed that 88.5% of all participants feel that discrimination against disabled people exists within everyday society. Participants stated that they believe discrimination either “exists” or “exists to a certain extent” in their answers to the survey.
The figures were released by the Cabinet Office in February 2023 and came to the surprise of many as the Tokyo Paralympics took place in 2021.
The figure that was given is higher than those who participated in a survey before, which took place in 2017 and was conducted using different methods. It was held a year after a law was passed which made it illegal for people who had a disability to be discriminated against. In that survey, 83.9% of people felt disability was present.
Among those who responded to the survey that took place last year, 58.9% of participants felt that there had been some improvement in the amount of work done to prevent discrimination in the country, but 40.4% felt that there hadn’t been any real change.
The law was put in place to stop discrimination against disabled people back in 2013. It allowed Japan to do something very important, which was to ratify the UN Convention regarding the rights of people with disabilities. This was a measure designed to protect the fundamental liberties and rights of people who have disabilities.
It’s worth noting that the law was revised properly back in 2021. It was designed to force private companies and businesses to make accommodations for people who have disabilities. They were made to implement certain measures to support them, like, for example, access points for wheelchairs and deaf-friendly signage.
As support workers Gold Coast, we can wholeheartedly say that there are still a lot of changes that will need to be made to create a truly inclusive society. It’s sad that so many people are struggling with inclusivity in Japan, and the fact that the local populace seems aware of this is sadder still.
We can only hope that changes will be made to create a more inclusive society. The best that we can hope for is more penalties being introduced to people who are caught being actively intolerant or inconsiderate of people with disabilities. People who have disabilities have a right to live, but time and time again, they’re made to feel like that’s not an option. The best thing we can do is try and help them by challenging anyone who doesn’t make provisions for disabled people. There’s a long way to go, but recognizing inequality is a good first step.