There is a visually impaired man who volunteered for the Tokyo Paralympics with the aim of realizing a society where people with and without disabilities can understand each other.
Shigeru Kudo, a 56-year-old teacher at a school for the visually impaired in Tokyo, was born with amblyopia, and after the age of 20, her symptoms worsened and she became totally blind.
Mr. Kudo, who has been actively challenging sports such as skiing even if he has a disability, participated in the Paralympic volunteers to deepen his understanding not only of athletes but also of all disabled people.
On the 27th of last month, when I was in charge of the swimming venue, I put up a board to call attention to the people in the venue so as not to make noise at the start, and disinfected the spectators' seats.
At first, my colleagues told me when to raise the board according to the situation of the competition, but as I got used to it, I responded to the sound of the venue and raised the board.
Also, in disinfecting the spectators' seats, after being taken to the place in charge, I proceeded with the work while checking the position of the seats by hand.
A female student who worked with me said, "Until now, I had a strong desire to support people with disabilities, but I changed my mind through activities with Mr. Kudo, who can often do it alone."
Mr. Kudo said, "We were able to help society by cooperating with people with and without disabilities. It may lead to the promotion of a symbiotic society in the future."