The Minamata disease is considered to be one of the most serious Japanese pollution incidents of the 20th century, which led to more than 2,000 victims. In 1956, mercury poisoning was caused by methylmercury released into the sea from the chemical manufacturer Chisso Corp.’s factory in Minamata, Kumamoto Prefecture. One of the most powerful ways to learn about history is through authentic voices, so this is a collection of individual stories from a few of the many victims and their families.

Houston Vandergriff is a travel photographer with Down Syndrome based in Knoxville, Tennessee. He has traveled far and wide and hopes his photographs will inspire others to live life to the fullest and to live life with compassion. By the age of 24, he has traveled to all 95 counties in his home state of Tennessee, to 49 of the 50 United States, to 5 Canadian provinces, and to 26 countries. He aims to make the world a better place through his love for photography and shares his perspective of the world without using any words.

Anah Kryzanowski is a 17-year-old from Alberta, Canada. She has Treacher Collins Syndrome (TCS), which affects the development of her cheekbones, jaw, and ears. It also affects her breathing, speech, and the way she eats. Anah is very passionate about disability rights and acceptance, and is currently an ambassador for Beautymark Community!

Sagyojo is a Type B facility where people with disabilities can work, gather with friends, and broaden their experience as a place to find their "goals" and "purpose” in life. The Sagyoko I visited is called 「まもりやま工房」located in Shindaita, Tokyo, Japan. This post delves into the specifics of Sagyojo and the problems it is currently facing.

Jessica Johnson is a 31-year-old from Richmond, VA living with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. She earned a Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from South University-Richmond in 2017 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and Business minor from Norfolk State University in 2014. She is currently in residency with a private practice in the Richmond area providing counseling services through Telehealth and working part-time with Virginia's Medicaid agency on the Addiction Recovery Treatment Services (ARTS) team for the last 3 years.

“Sign With Me” café is located in Kasuga, Tokyo. It is a soup café that is run by deaf people. Along with serving delicious soups, this cafe promotes communication through Japanese Sign Language and written Japanese between customers and staff members.

Dante Bailey is a 30 year old African American Male with cerebral palsy which affects his muscles and speech. With this interview he discusses inclusion when it comes to dating and sports with a disability, helping bring awareness to his everyday life.

Elexus is currently working at Applebees in New York and would be willing to take any opportunity to gain knowledge in her passion for photography and filmmaking. The interview discussed her life coming from a difficult family situation, which led her to grow into a strong and creative person which resulted in her accomplishments despite her disability.

Outside of Zehra’s academic life, she would love for the acting industry to contact her for a role despite her disability since her dream is to be an actress as a career and love to voice herself in a public setting. The interview will promote the importance of access to public places, such as grocery stores for people who are visually impaired.

Rina Miyoshi is a sophomore at ICU (International Christian University) in Mitaka, Tokyo. She’s originally from Ehime prefecture. She lived in Ehime until middle school and then went to a high school in Tokyo. Rina is visually impaired and can only feel the sunlight or very bright light. In this interview, Rina talks about her passions and the challenges she had to overcome to become the individual she is today.

On April 28th, 2021, The American School in Japan welcomed Dr. Kamal Lamichanne as a speaker for our panel discussion: Inequity in Education and Schools for People with Disabilities.

Dr. Kamal Lamichhane is an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Tsukuba, Japan. He is also an affiliated researcher at the University of Tokyo. He is the first person with a visual impairment from his home country, Nepal, to receive a doctorate. Due to his visual impairments, Dr. Lamichhane could not receive education until he turned 12.

Vasu Sojitra is a professional adaptive skier who lives in Bozeman, Montana. As an Indian-American, Vasu advocates for those who are historically marginalized. When Vasu was nine months old, he was diagnosed with septicemia, resulting in the amputation of one of his legs. Vasu continues to challenge the biases that go with being a person of color with a disability through his intersectional work which includes being the first adaptive athlete for The North Face, an advisor for The Outdoor F.U.T.U.R.E Initiative, the co-founder of Inclusive Outdoors Project, and a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) strategist for In Solidarity Network and independently.

Haruka Matsui is an adult with down syndrome. She has a passion for music composition and loves watching anime during her free time. She currently works for LIVES Food Truck “OOPEN”, and she hopes to continue her love for cooking and serving customers by working at a cafe in the near future! Haruka’s optimism will bring a smile to anyone’s face, and I sure hope that the short interview below will bring a smile to your face as you learn about who she is as an individual.

Riho Ishii is a 20-year-old individual who has developmental and learning disabilities. She puts in a lot of effort working for LIVES Food Truck, serving delicious dishes to customers in Tokyo. She has a hard time processing complicated terms at times, so we decided to go with an easy get-to-know-me interview!

Uyanga is from Mongolia and has an eye condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa, also known as RP for short. It's a degenerative condition where you lose your eyesight gradually. She went to the US for a master's degree through the Fulbright scholarship she received from the government. After getting her master's, she came back to Mongolia to work at the US embassy in Mongolia for seven years. She now lives in Tokyo with her husband, son, and guide dog who turned 4.

Mr. Kunior Fukumoto is currently the President/CEO of Mitsubishi Taiyo Co., Ltd. , President and CEO of Psychiatric Social Worker, and Director of Association for Employing Companies with Disabilities. When he was 37 years old, he lost four fingers from participating in a marine sport. He is now working to achieve inclusion by providing all people with opportunities.

Mark Bookman is a Ph.D. Candidate at the University of Pennsylvania and a visiting researcher at the University of Tokyo. His work is on the history and politics of disability in Japan and the United States, and that comes out of his own experience as an American wheelchair user living in Tokyo, seeing the differences in accessibility in both cultures.

I had the privilege to interview Hisamu Sato-san, who also goes by “寝たきり社長”, which translates to '“Bedridden CEO” in English. Sato-san has spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), but that does not hinder him from becoming a successful entrepreneur and the CEO of his own company.

Haley has Pompe disease, which is a recessive metabolic disease that damages nerve cells throughout the body. From her school life to how music motivates her, we were able to talk about various topics in the span of 15 minutes.

Melissa Serrano is a teenager living with Cerebral Palsy (CP) on the right side of her body. Her words and messages were beyond mature and remarkable. She told me, “It’s okay not to understand. But you always have to be willing to educate yourself and listen.”