- Our home is full of joy.  Happy cranes and lucky turtles dancing and playing together -

Masako Kitano
Ex-director of Japanese Federation of the Deaf

Our house is old, built in the middle of the Meiji Era (1868-1912) in traditional Japanese style.  A long time ago when my children were small, they used to play tag or hide-and-seek there, while my grandfather would enjoy playing a Japanese game of “go” with friends who visited him from time to time.  I, myself, was spending a carefree and easy time, making snacks for children and seasonal Japanese sweets for my grandfather and his friends.  I was always singing the following melody in my heart, while praying that this peace would last forever.  “Our home is full of joy, happy cranes and lucky turtles dancing and playing together♪”

Time has since passed, and when Mr. Hisamatsu, Secretary General of the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, came and visited our home this summer, he said “Your home attracts happiness.”  His words made me very happy and reminded me of a lot of people I met there.  At the same time, I saw in my mind many unforgettable memories flashing before me like silhouettes in a revolving lantern.

Looking back now, I had been living a very simple and peaceful life as an ordinary housewife until my grandfather passed away and one of my children got very ill.  My gratitude for that quiet life is still in my heart even after all those years. So, how did that ordinary housewife get enlightened by the deaf movement and come to undauntedly advocate the institutionalizing of the sign language interpretation system?

I am already 80 years old now and have started thinking about the remaining days of my life.  Where is the place that gives me peace in mind?  The answer is, after all, the house my husband left for me.  I have so many memories in it.  It will be the place of my last days with the help of my family and friends, and I won’t be alone. Here at the heart of my home, I have looked back on various things that stand out in my memory.

1971 - My child’s serious illness and my limitations in communicating by means of writing

By nature, I was not an active sort of person, but just an ordinary housewife.  Nonetheless, since I was a child, I have been strictly disciplined so that I would not get into trouble because of my impaired hearing, even though I am sufficiently confident of my writing skills in communication. 　 

In 1971, one of my children was struck by a serious illness.  In the hospital, when it came to any complicated explanation from the doctor of the effects and side effects of medicines, which you might call ‘informed consent’, I found it very difficult and time-consuming to receive any adequate information because the only means of communication I had was ‘writing’.  Though the doctor was nice and kind, I sensed his frustration when communicating with a deaf mother.  I was deeply saddened by it.  This event happened in 1971, which is 50 years ago.  There was no sign language interpreter available in Kanazawa then. 

The doctor asked me on several occasions, “Excuse me, but could you bring your mother with you?”  If I had brought my mother, the communication between the doctor and myself would have been lost completely.  I would have been only given a summarized explanation later and I would not have been able to establish a relationship with the doctor.  Another issue would have been my mother worrying about me.  She would have thought I had much trouble in childcare due to my impaired hearing.  So, I made my own effort by buying the “Complete Medical Collection” and studied by myself, but I just wonder now how much it made sense.

1972 - I opened my house to Kanazawa University students and started teaching sign language.  ‘Teaching is learning.’

When my child’s illness was cured, I tried to attract the attention of Kanazawa University students.  I asked them for some help, and in exchange, I offered to teach them sign language.  The university used to have a Faculty on Deaf Education at that time.  I opened my house and started teaching.  They started asking me many questions and were quick in learning sign language.  In order to answer their questions, I myself needed to study.  The activities at that time were mainly focused on digging up various problems caused by not being able to hear, and we would think and talk about these issues together.

During the Showa era (1926-1989) and at the beginning of the Heisei era (1989-2019), there remained a lot of explicit discrimination, such as disdain for sign languages and exclusion of persons with disabilities.  Because of my deafness, I was trying hard, thinking that I needed to make three or four times more effort than non-deaf people.  But the students said that it did not make sense because Deaf persons are not responsible for problems caused by not being able to hear.  And I also thought I myself had to train people to be sign language interpreters because it was I who needed them.  Again, the students’ way of thinking was different.  They thought that interpreters were social resources, and it was the government that should take responsibility for training them.  What we should do is to help the government achieve this.  All the above exchange of thoughts took place around 1972, which is 50 years ago.  I have come to see lots of merit in ‘co-education’ where we learn from each other and grow together.  And this experience helped me grow socially.

1981 International Year of Disabled Persons – ‘Full Participation and Equality’ in Society for Persons with Disabilities

1981 was the International Year of Disabled Persons, and the United Nations was promoting various measures under the banner of ‘Full Participation and Equality’ in society for persons with disabilities.  However, measures taken for deaf persons were slow and not making much progress.  Therefore, all of us in the Japanese Federation of the Deaf were determined to exert all efforts to promote real understanding of institutionalizing the sign language interpretation system.  We worked tirelessly, for example, to sell 1.2 million pamphlets named ‘I Love to Communicate’ to 1% of the Japanese population at 200 yen each.

Committee to Promote a Sign Language Interpretation System in Ishikawa Prefecture

The nationwide activity of promoting ‘I Love to Communicate’ pamphlets led to the formation of the ‘Committee to Promote a Sign Language Interpretation System in Ishikawa Prefecture’.  In order to establish a sign language interpretation system, we worked hard to get all 19 municipalities in Ishikawa Prefecture to hire sign language interpreters as full-time employees.

Deaf persons contribute to high prefectural and municipal taxes.  But they are not treated properly at local government offices because they are not able to communicate sufficiently well with the officers there.  In fact, deaf persons are the ones who are inconvenienced.  We are stigmatized as being socially vulnerable (I hate that phrase, though), and there is nothing we can do but to endure it.  On the other hand, if sign language interpreters with expertise in deaf issues were hired as regular employees at each local government office, deaf persons’ lives and rights would be protected. Also, prompt advocacy of rights and responsible administrative responses would materialize even when a disaster, illness, or an unexpected event strike.

【Note】The total outcome of the promotion up until FY2019 is that 20 local governments and organizations, including Ishikawa Prefecture, have hired 37 sign language interpreters (full-time staff: 18, contractual staff: 11, organization staff: 9).

Benefits of Hiring Full-Time Sign Language Interpreters for all Municipalities in the Prefecture

We believe that, by hiring sign language interpreters on a full-time basis, various projects can be carried out not only within the scope of welfare but also for future projects, resulting in the expanded social participation of deaf persons. In addition to protecting the status of sign language interpreters, we hope for ‘full participation and equality of the deaf in society.’  Sign language interpreters working for local governments should be hired as permanent employees so that they can have stable and long-term employment rather than short-term.  We have been paving the way for this goal for as long as 35 years.  And I hope that sign language interpreters will work together with us to find ways towards ‘full participation and equality of the deaf in society.’

And as more and more sign language interpreters are employed by local governments, I believe that a network of sign language interpreters can soon be created just as many dots together can form a line. 

Our Fun Home

As the saying goes, “The soil that is struck becomes a good field,” the deaf movement is a soil that nurtures people. Ｍy house is now called the “Old Kitano House.”  It started by offering a gathering place for young people in 2014 when Mr. Okita from the Youth Division visited our house and asked Mr. Fujihira if he could visit Kitano’s house again.  Now more and more young people are getting together and I am truly happy with it.  I am also glad to see those who come and visit me during the O-bon holiday bearing some gifts from Tokyo and Tochigi after graduating from universities.

We named the gathering ‘Wakatake no Tsudoi (Young Bamboo Gathering).’  Although there is no gathering at the moment due to the ongoing COVID-19 situation, Young Bamboos are now working hard as board members of the Youth Division of the Ishikawa Prefectural Association for the Deaf.  So, I somehow stay informed of how they are doing.

I am afraid that we are now closed in 2021 until the COVID-19 situation improves, but since July 2014 I have been fortunate enough to have many chances of meeting new people thanks to these activities.  It is a pity indeed to be forced to close the place because of the pandemic, but I hope we will soon be able to enjoy gathering together and have good time again sometime in the future while I am well and active. Thank you very much, everyone, for the good times we have shared. Young people, spread your wings with sign language!

Photo 1: Young people gathering at Old Kitano House

Photo 2: The second person from the right in the front row is the author.