Hitomi Uchida
Staff member, Muchu Independent Living Center;
Director, Yumekaze Foundation

I was born with a disease called congenital Osteogenesis Imperfecta, and have been living in my own original style for the last 39 years. While my body is characterized by weak, easily breakable bones, I have built an independent life together with my helpers, and have been living an abundant life. The causes of broken bones are not only impacts from a fall or banging into other people hard, but are also related to being in poor physical shape due to accumulated tiredness, so I have been thinking about the balance between carrying out tasks slowly, at my own pace, and handing things over to my helpers, creating a lifestyle that brings peace of mind. My short stature of 100 cm and low line of sight make it pretty hard for me to live, but here I will introduce a little of how I live in my own way.

Inside my home, I walk around on my bottom (Pictures 1 & 2)

From when I was born until the present, I have always walked around on my bottom inside my home. I crawl on all fours a little, but mostly walk on my bottom. This is not so much an adaptation as my natural style of getting around, and in fact, I use my whole body, so it is probably good exercise. I sometimes stand upright and walk extremely short distances holding onto things, but I lose my balance not infrequently, so I try not to do this much. Above all, I want to reduce the risk of breaking a bone in my everyday life, so my helper and I call out to each other in order to avoid colliding inside small rooms, and I have my helper pay attention to wiping up any drops of water spilt on the floor, as moisture could make me slip and fall. I can move around slowly by myself, so having my helper look out for my safety is very important, leading to peace of mind in my daily life.

Picture 1: I stand up and sit down slowly in order to avoid losing my balance

Picture 2: I walk around on my bottom

I also prepare for a major earthquake, not placing heavy objects high up and lining things up within arm’s reach (Picture 3)

I lived through the terrifying experience of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake), which registered 7 on the Japanese seismic scale, 26 years ago, so in my current Osaka home, too, I prepare for a major earthquake, taking care not to place heavy objects high up. Also, there are many times when I have no helper here, so I line things up in places where I can reach them without effort. I placed items like my fridge, microwave oven, and washing machine so that I could reach them, too. Recently, there are many recipes which can be made in the rice cooker or microwave oven, so I am able to make use of this information to take the initiative and live in a fun way.

When I go out, I use an electric wheelchair which moves up and down (Picture 4)

When I go out, I move around in an electric wheelchair, which is heavy and feels stable. This wheelchair is multifunctional and is truly a revolutionary, excellent item; in particular, I like the fact that it can move up and down. Previously, things got tough because of my short stature and low line of sight, but now that my line of sight has been raised, it has become easier for me to communicate with others, and so my life has become distinctly easier. My wheelchair is heavy and powerful, so it feels solid and stable. It can also make tight turns, so I am able to move around town more nimbly. The only thing is that I can drive my wheelchair with just the slightest finger pressure, so I cannot deny that I have lost strength. Recently, when I am at home, I dance along to YouTube videos with dances that can be done sitting down, or mix cake and cookie ingredients myself, making it a habit to maintain my strength as much as possible.

Picture 3: I am short, so I cannot reach most things

Picture 4: Thanks to my multifunctional electric wheelchair, I can go anywhere