I came to Japan on August 30, 2004. I was very nervous when I met other trainees for the first time, so I thought it was best to remain silent and I did not talk very much. At the beginning, my English and Japanese all got mixed up, I was very confused. Luckily, as the time went by, I became more relaxed and became friends with the other trainees. Despite the anxiety I was still very much looking forward to the training program in Japan. In Japan I used an electric wheelchair. This enabled me to go anywhere quickly, by myself, and expanded my world.

The first three months, I got on the train everyday and went to the Japanese language school all by myself. I studied conversation, grammar and listening comprehension very hard. When I completed the course I took the First Grade Japanese Language Proficiency Test, and passed it. I am very grateful to my teachers. During these three months, we also enjoyed swimming. Thanks to the help of Mr. Inaji and the staff from the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, I learned how to breathe properly in water. Since swimming is the best exercise for me, I was very happy to master this technique.

There were many components in the program, mostly comprising information about how to run a Center for Independent Living(CIL) , advocacy, and DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) . CIL is, in short, an association that helps persons with disabilities lives independently in local communities. They help the people achieve whatever they would like to do, base on each person’s wishes. This means the person can retain his/her human rights, regardless of how severe his/her disabilities may be. Another characteristic of CILs is that, irrespective of disability types, persons with disabilities offer services to other persons with disabilities. First, I learned about the Japanese welfare system for persons with disabilities, and its history, including how persons with disabilities have been fighting for welfare and support services. I myself experienced living by myself, for the first time, with an attendant service. I also studied independent living programs, peer counseling, and empowerment for persons with disabilities.

I also learned some important things: Anti-Discrimination Act , and the concept of International Convention on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. It is important for persons with disabilities to protect their own rights. First, it is extremely important to recognize what rights there are, and then to protect one’s own rights with the use of law. I witnessed how Japanese persons with disabilities had debates and negotiations with the government, which was an invaluable experience for me.

I also learned how to use DAISY. DAISY is an easy recordable digital navigation system for persons with visual or other impairments. I would like to tell everyone about it when I go back to Taiwan.

Outside of the training I went to visit many places, including Osaka, Nagoya, Kyoto, Kumamoto, Hiroshima and Miyajima. The most fun thing was to ski, and to drive a car. I used to think it very difficult or even dangerous, but it was almost a dream come true, and helped me realize that there were still many other things that I can do. I also enjoyed the home stay experience in Kumamoto over the New Years’period.

The training changed the way I think. Before coming to Japan, I thought of independence as being totally independent, without financial or personal help. That idea changed when I met many people with disabilities in Japan. I now think that one way of being independent is to live a life you want to live, with help. Also important is that you make your personal choice, decide for yourself and then take responsibilities for your decisions. Persons with disabilities are often deprived of the rights to make their own choices, or to take risks, because of their disabilities, so they put up with being deprived and lose the sense of being themselves. This leads me to believe that these three things—making one’s own choices, having the right to take risks and taking responsibility for one’s own decisions—are much more important than becoming financially independent. I also came to think that disability is just one of the physical attributes of a person, just like being tall or short.

Through the training, I learned about myself. The best thing about coming to Japan was making many friends with disabilities from various Asian countries. Everyone has a different culture or background, but carries the same worries and difficulties because of the disabilities; it created a strong bond amongst us. My perspective also widened. For the first time I realized how gifted I had been in my environment, and loved Taiwan.

After meeting other people with various disabilities in Japan, I was more able to think about other people. For example, just after arriving in Japan, I would see Tomasi always walking towards me with sign language, and I used to run away quickly. But now, I can talk to Tomasi in sign language. When I am with a person with speech impairment, I am more able to relax and listen to him/her more patiently. I also learned how to help out, changing methods in accordance with the types of disabilities. This made me like myself a bit more.

In Taiwan, people have fixed ideas about persons with disabilities. For example, persons with disabilities are unfortunate, or those who try so hard. Persons with physical disabilities are those who sell lottery tickets, those with intellectual disabilities are the ones who make cookies and those with visual impairments are massager. My dream, is to create an environment where persons with disabilities can participate in the society equally, and help Taiwanese persons with disabilities support persons with disabilities in other Asian countries. I would like to work in that direction when I get back to Taiwan, using what I absorbed in Japan. I would first like to find peers who can work together, and send them to Duskin Leadership training program or one of the programs by Center for Independent Living. I would like to create a Webpage to share my experiences and learning in Japan, translate it into Chinese, communicate it to others, and hold workshops, seminars and study groups. I would like to open seminars, invite my friends from Japan so that they can interact with persons with disabilities in Taiwan. My eventual goal is to create a center for independent living, which empowers persons with disabilities in Taiwan.

The most important thing I learned in the program, is how to enjoy things. This applies to work and everyday living. Unless we enjoy ourselves, unless we are happy with what we do, we can’t continue to do it for a long time, or well. We have to choose a life that we want and live happily. If we like what we do, we can overcome any obstacles or problems.

Finally, I cannot describe how many people I would like to express my gratitude to. I would like to take this opportunity to express my heartfelt thanks to those who worked so hard during this training program. Without their help, I would not have been what I am now. Thank you so much!!