"Not special" complaints of 1.2 billion people August 25, 19:21

"15% of the world" "1 in 7" "1.2 billion"

What do you think of when you hear this number?

Number of ABO people?

Indian population?

No, no.

Of the world's population of 7.8 billion, it is the number of people with some physical or mental disabilities.

At intersections in the city and at convenience stores in the neighborhood.

I'm sure there's one in 1.2 billion people on the commuter train and by your side.

What I'm trying to convey is the message, "Let's break the wall together."

(Sports News Department Reporter Shunsuke Shimanaka, Takahiro Kanazawa)

A question from a video

A tough para-athlete in a wheelchair.

Words are thrown on the back one after another.

"I was very impressed." "It pushes our back." "You are a superhero."

Here, the athlete asks the camera.

"very?"

This video was released by the IPC = International Paralympic Committee, which hosts the Paralympics, in mid-August, just before the Tokyo Paralympics.

Since then, no athlete has appeared in the video.

A man in an electric wheelchair holding a child.

A woman with a prosthesis standing in the city.

A man struggling to make a bed.

A visually impaired couple celebrating their wedding.

All of them are people with disabilities who live casually in various parts of the world.

What they often complain about is the message, "We are not special" and "Let's break the wall."

This campaign named "We The 15".

Approximately 15% of the world's population, 1.2 billion people, have some kind of disability and are calling on many people with disabilities in their immediate vicinity.

I asked the top of the IPC about the intention of starting such a campaign when the athletes are shining and the Paralympics are about to begin.

IPC = President of the International Paralympic Committee Parsons

"Many people with disabilities have not yet been given the opportunity to play an active role as part of society. They want to receive social services, get employment, and live freely in the city. Opportunities are not given like others. There is a lot to be achieved. "

While superhumans are getting a lot of attention ...

An IPC that appeals to people with disabilities other than athletes.

The reason goes back to the origin of the Paralympics.

1948, Stoke Mandeville, a small town in southern England.

There was a rehabilitation facility for soldiers injured in World War II.

The archery competition that started as part of rehabilitation is the origin of the Paralympics.

In other words, the Paralympics started as part of encouraging people with disabilities to participate in society.

More than 70 years later, the Paralympics are now the third largest sporting event in the world after the Olympics and the Soccer World Cup.

The sophistication of the competition is progressing, and some athletes have set a record that surpasses that of Olympic athletes.

The 8m62cm record of Markus Rehm (Germany), the world champion of the long jump and prosthesis class, exceeds the record of the gold medalist of the Tokyo Olympics by 21cm.

These players have been attracting attention and being praised as "superhumans," or "superhumans."

Para-athletics Markus Rehm

"I like the name Super Human. I think the Paralympics have changed people's perspectives. In the past, some people felt sorry for us, but that has changed. Because our level of performance has risen far. "

However, while athletes with outstanding abilities have been attracting attention, the social environment surrounding people with disabilities may still have many issues.

That was the awareness of the IPC that started this campaign.

IPC Parsons Chairman

"I think the understanding of people with disabilities through the Paralympics is still inadequate. People with disabilities live everywhere in the world, not just for the Paralympic Games every four years. It's time for the Paralympics to return to its starting point, helping to create a better society where everyone can live together through sports. "

A confession of an Olympian

A better society where everyone can live together.

How can we realize such a society as the IPC chairman talks about?

Some people say that their eyes on people with disabilities changed as a result of their encounter with para-athletes.

This is Shigekazu Omori (49).

He was a track and field athlete who once participated in the Olympics, but at first he was not interested in the existence of the Paralympics.

Mr. Shigekazu Omori

"The Olympic Games are competitions in which healthy people make efforts to improve their own strength and only those who are selected in the competition once every four years can participate. On the other hand, the Paralympics are held after the Olympic Games. It's a tournament held by people with disabilities. I've never seen it, but there was a prejudice that it was different. "

A big turning point came to Mr. Omori 14 years ago.

I met a blind woman.

That person is Chiaki Takada.

He is a blind athlete who participates in the Tokyo Paralympic Games in the long jump on land and in the visually impaired class.

Takada who visited the track and field club where Mr. Omori serves as a coach.

What was your first impression of Mr. Omori?

"It feels like an office lady's older sister ... You can't run as hard as you can without seeing."

The "wall" of prejudice was shattered

Guidance that started with half confidence.

However, as he continued, Mr. Omori's preconceptions were shattered.

Mr. Shigekazu Omori

"I was surprised to see him running at full speed. I want to run. I want to compete when I can run. Whether I am a healthy person or a disabled person, I want to run like that. does not change"

Mr. Omori came to serve as Takada's "caller".

It is indispensable for the competition to tell Takada, who runs in the dark, the direction to run and the timing of the takeoff with a shout and clapping.

As I was competing on a three-legged race, the wall I had created for people with disabilities disappeared.

Mr. Shigekazu Omori

"Before I got to know Takada, I avoided people with disabilities. I tried not to look at people with disabilities. I'm afraid that things that deviate from our understanding. I had the consciousness that it was difficult to talk to me and to approach me. Instead, I came to think that I am the same person, the same person, whether I am blind, have no arms, or have no legs. rice field"

Mr. Omori says that his eyes on people with disabilities have changed significantly.

Nowadays, when you see a person with a disability in the city, you can talk to them naturally.

Mr. Shigekazu Omori

"For example, I used to avoid it because a visually impaired person was walking on a Braille block with a cane alone, but now I wonder what he wants to do. "What's wrong?" The more opportunities you have to interact with people with disabilities, the more you can understand.

Tips for the Paralympics

In fact, the Paralympics are packed with ideas that can naturally support people with disabilities, such as callers.

Just knowing that may change the way people with disabilities and their views on society change.

Mr. Omori also feels that.

For example, a "companioner" who runs together on land with a rope called "Kizuna".

A "tapper" that informs visually impaired athletes of the timing of turns by hitting them with a cushioned stick in a swimming race.

Boccia allows players who cannot throw the ball by hand to roll it using a device called a "ramp" such as a slide.

The Paralympic Games, which allow many people to compete in a fair environment, are sure to be packed with hints for creating a society where everyone can live comfortably by supporting each other's weaknesses.

Shigekazu Omori

"We support each other and complement each other. For example, callers are not players, so they can't jump, but there is a caller and it's a long jump. Not limited to sports, it's something in today's society. It may be a good example to feel what is missing. "

Can you hear 15% of the voice

The Tokyo Paralympics have begun.

Not only once every four years, but not only in the stadium.

I want you to look around you as well.

You should hear the voices of 1.2 billion people living together.

Yes!

"Let's break the wall together"

Sports News Department Reporter

Shunsuke Shimanaka

Joined in 2009

After working at Shizuoka Station and Kagoshima Station, Sports News Department.

In charge of the Paralympics, focusing on para-swimming.

Sports News Department Reporter

Takashi Kanazawa

Joined in 2012

After working at the Hiroshima and Osaka stations, he joined the Sports News Department.

In charge of the Paralympics.