Jobs for the disabledCreating a society where all, even the disabled, can work
For this issue of Peace Seeds, we look at "jobs for the disabled" and we explore such things as the low wages that people with disabilities receive and how goods produced in workshops with disabled workers can be made more popular among the public.
With the cooperation of Yuuki Fukushikai, an organization located in the city of Shobara, north of Hiroshima, which runs a social welfare facility, we joined the disabled workers there to come up with a name for their new brand of mineral water and the design for the label which will appear on the bottles.
At first, we were unsure how to communicate with them. However, as we interacted with them, and talked frankly about our ideas, we came to realize that "Disabilities have nothing to do with this."
Nevertheless, it's true that the "wages" they receive for their work amount to only a little more than 10,000 yen a month (about U.S. $120). This implies that they are not regarded as "real workers." We also learned the hard reality that the disabled find it difficult to obtain jobs with private companies.
Disabled workers + junior writers
|
The organization Yuuki Fukushikai is planning to sell a new brand of bottled water this summer. The water is taken from near the source of the Tabusa River, a branch of the Gouno River. The junior writers of Peace Seeds, together with the disabled workers at Yuuki Fukushikai, put our heads together to create a name for the water and a design for the label.
We came together on three different days at the end of last year and in early January. On the first day, we interviewed the head of the organization, Tamotsu Kumahara, 57. He told us: "I would like our workers to truly earn their money by producing a good product, not by appealing to a sense of sympathy on the part of consumers." He gave us advice on communicating with the disabled, too. "Ignore their disability when you look at them and communicate with them on an equal footing," he said. "I even argue with them on occasion." We shared ideas about the name for the mineral water with Mr. Segawa and Mr. Horie, both of whom sit in wheelchairs as a result of cerebral palsy. Judging the quality of the water, Mr. Segawa said, "I think it would be good to have a name with impact, like 'miracle water.'" Mr. Horie agreed. "I like 'miracle water,' too," he said. On the second day, the junior writers offered 30 ideas with names and designs which reflect the nature of the mountainous Chugoku region. One junior writer, Minako Iwata, 18, came up with the name "Kiss-sui" ("Kiss-water") and explained: "The word 'kissui' means 'genuine,' too, and this expresses the purity of the water." On the label were drawn a variety of smiling faces, with the wish that "Everyone, disabled and non-disabled alike, will live life with smiles on their faces." On the last day, Mr. Segawa, who enjoys writing poetry, thought of a catchy slogan for the bottle: "Soft water, shining life." He told us, "When we're doing something we really enjoy, that's when our lives shine the most." For the label, we chose two ideas. One is "Kiss-sui" and the other is "bihokku," which was the idea of another junior writer, Yusuke Suemoto, 15 Both labels are illustrated with the smiling faces of people of all ages, from children to senior citizens. Kana Kumagai, 17, said, "Everyone has things they're good at and things they're not. Working together with people who have disabilities taught me that there is no difference between us." Reiko Takaya, 14, offered the thought that "I hope a lot of people will have the chance to communicate with the disabled to help end prejudice." Plans call for the water bottles to be labels and packed in a new workshop building set to be built. In three years, Mr. Kumahara hopes to earn enough profits to provide 50,000 yen in monthly wages to the workers. In May, before this work begins, they will manufacture bottles with the help of a grant from a Hiroshima foundation.
The design of the label will be decided based on the results of our readers' votes. Please choose your favorite and given a short reason for your choice.(Vote was closed.) Click to see the results. >>>
Facebook page>>>facebook:Peace Seeds |
Vote for your choice! 
|
Joining forces with a confectioner Good sales makes the work worthwhile
Hiroo Funaya, 45, a social worker and the head of a Tokyo-based consulting company called Temil, launched the "Temil Project" in April 2010 to create a source of wages for the disabled. The project involves disabled people working with a well-known confectioner to produce sweets. Nine workshops in Osaka and Hokkaido are now taking part in this project. The workers produce cookies and muffins based on the confectioner's recipes and instructions, and these sweets are then sold at department stores and other locations. "The cookies and muffins sell well, and the disabled workers feel their efforts are worthwhile and appreciated," Mr. Funaya said. "The idea that they can't work because of their disability or that they shouldn't work because the job would be too hard for them is a misconception. Many people who are disabled are highly motivated. They just need a suitable environment to do the work." (Masataka Tanaka, 17) |
|
Supermarket chain employs 48 disabled workers One supermarket chain in Hiroshima, Fresta, employs 48 people who have mental or physical disabilities. Since 2009, the company has had the goal of employing one disabled worker at each store or branch office. Their duties, stocking the shelves and ringing up purchases at the cash register, are essentially the same as other members of the work force. The head of the personnel department, Yuji Watanabe, 38, told us: "If there's something they're unable to do something, we find something else that they can manage. It doesn't cause any special difficulty to hire someone who's disabled." When Fresta conducts job interviews, they make sure that the applicant is truly motivated to do the work. Before the company hires an applicant, the person takes part in several practical training sessions to confirm that the job is suitable. The company believes that creating a good working environment for the disabled, including displays of products that are easily accessible, will help result in a good shopping environment for their customers. (Minako Iwata, 18, and Sachiko Kitayama, 15)
|
|
Taking the customers' viewpoint to create successful products 
Fukashi Sekihara, 40, the head of Insight, a consulting firm in Osaka, has also served as a lecturer for a gathering in Hiroshima Prefecture aiming to improve wages for disabled workers. "The important thing is producing things that the consumer wants to buy, not simply things that the workers can make," he points out. One workshop in the city of Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture produces "boil-in-the-bag" curry. The mild taste of this curry, which includes local pork, a special product of the area, makes it suitable for children and women. With the curry now being sold across a wider area, including the cities of Tokyo and Osaka, sales have doubled. Good displays are needed, too. Even products that contain the finest butter won't sell very well if simply placed in the store without a sales strategy. Mr. Sekihara says that the use of point-of-purchase advertising displays next to items is an effective sales tool. (Kana Kumagai, 17) |
| Problems |
Lack of disabled employees at companies Low wages at workshops |
|
According to the Hiroshima prefectural government, the two main problems involving employment for the disabled are: 1) private companies don't hire enough disabled workers, and 2) the wages they receive from workshops are low. There is a law which stipulates that companies with more than 56 employees must have a work force which is composed of at least 1.8% disabled workers. However, only half of all companies in Hiroshima Prefecture have complied with this standard. The reason for this is the lack of understanding with regard to the disabled and the difficulty in conceiving of suitable work for their needs. Even when a disabled person is able to land a job with a company, it's not unusual for them to quit due to the working environment and their relationships with co-workers. People with disabilities who wish to work can gain three types of training opportunities at workshops: 1) contracted employment, 2) non-contracted employment, and 3) support to locate a job at a private company. With regard to contracted employment, minimum wages are set by the labor bureau of each prefecture. In Hiroshima (as of 2010), average monthly wages for contracted work are 111,007 yen. Non-contracted employment involves payment for a specific task. The monthly amount is generally 13,925 yen and cannot fall lower than 3,000 yen. In terms of support for locating a job at a private company, workshops, as a rule, offer a two-year period of training. If profits accrue from that work, the worker can also receive wages. However, the training time doesn't often lead to employment at private companies. (Kana Kumagai, 17, Yuka Iguchi, 16, and Reiko Takaya, 14)
|
© COPYRIGHT 2005-2007 CHUGOKU SHIMBUN.NO REPRODUCTION OR REPUBLICATION WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION.