October 29 1997 (Wed)

Participation of Persons with Disability in Political Activities
by
Ms. Keiko Higuchi, member of City Council
Machida City

Personal Background

In the International Year of Disabled Persons 1981, much emphasis was placed on "Full Participation and Equality" as well as participation of people with disability themselves in policy making process. It was in that year that I visited Berkeley, the USA, the birthplace of IL Movement, and Singapore to attend the First World Conference. Through these visits, I have come to realize the importance of solidarity with the powers of disabled persons.

From 1984 to 1986, I was given an opportunity to study in the USA, namely, at Independent Living Center I Berkeley and in Washington D. C., the center of political activities, where I had a chance to meet with a lot of leaders of disabled people's organizations. Here I learned that independence referred not only to independence with which to lead daily life nor economic independence, but it is the execution of the right to make self-decisions. However, severe a disability may be, people with disability have the right to be independent and the right to endanger themselves. This concept surely freed myself from my previous view toward disability. My stay coincided with the drafting period of Americans with Disabilities Act and the leaders were visiting all over the States to listen to the voices of many disabled persons. I came across many of these leaders in the midst of lobbying enthusiastically with Congressman trying hard to have the draft passed by the Congress.

Until then, I had thought of politics as something I had nothing to do with. I had felt that if I ever got involved, I would only be taken advantage of. My American colleagues, on the other hand, took advantage of politics to expand their own rights.

Back in Japan, I started a movement to introduce Independent Living centers in Japan and set up a self-help group called Machida Human Net. In this group, those with disabilities who had been the service recipients until then become service providers of peer counseling, care attendance, and IL consultation services. Machida Human Net has carried out such services as 24-hour attendant care, which is actually the responsibility of local government if it is to respond to the needs of citizens. We have held meetings with the local government staff whenever necessary, showing specific cases to request for grants. The responses, however, were usually most severe. Now an then, we asked city council members to join our meetings, but it came to decision-making, we were outsiders and had to leave the conclusions to others.

Later, in 1994, I ran for the city council and was elected. The next election will be in February 1998. The following are some advantages of having become a city council member:
(1) I am able to acquire information fast enough to solve any problem before it becomes a serious one. When the national government planned to build an inaccessible building in Machida city, I brought it up and successfully had the plan revised while it was stil on the blueprint.
(2) It is easy for me to get inside administrative activities. For most of disabled persons' organizations, the barriers are very high. When one becomes a member of city council, however, it is easy to order further study on an issue and to give an order for improvement.
(3) I am able to propose necessary systems and have them established.
(4) I am able to convey the voices of the disabled directly to other council members and top executives of administration who have the final say in the policy making. I can also try to reach the minds of these members and change their views.

Networking for more participation in political activities by the disabled.

We, the council members with disability and those who have become council members through disabled persons' movements, have just started networking at national and local levels. Those who have become members of council through disabled persons' movements have "disabled peers" as rich information sources to enjoy the advantages of being disabled council members. On the other hand, those who have no colleagues in the movement are isolated, and although others take them for representatives of disabled persons, they tend to lack understanding of disabilities other than their own. We, the networking group meet twice every year to have study sessions and information exchange meetings to talk about the trend of the nation, how we are responding or how we should respond to the current events, so as to contribute to the disabled persons living in the respective areas.

The number of female council members in Japan is exceptionally small compared to those in other countries but that of council members with disability is even smaller. Being a disabled council member, therefore, is very hard and it looks as if I were fighting alone in the council. There are young council members with disability who encourage themselves through getting to know the colleagues who share the similar problems and with whom they can exchange information.

There are 25 members at present participating in the networking. To increase the number of disabled council members in local governments, and to have more influence of policy-making process, we are planning to hold a seminar that will help people feel that city council is part of their life.

From "Resource Book of Training Course for Leaders of Persons with Disabilities 1997"

Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons