I learned many things from this training that will be useful for disability movement. Fiji does not offer good accessibility for people with disabilities. Recently the government ratified the U.N. Convention for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The Duskin training has taught me what I need to do when I go back to Fiji.

As soon as I arrived in Japan, I attended a Japanese language class to be able to communicate with people. The lessons turned out to be very useful for when I went shopping or met up with people. Studying Japanese helped me make friends as well. I was very happy to be given this opportunity to learn a new language.

In December, us the trainees attended a group training course. During the training we visited many organizations for and by people with disabilities, where we learned about disability movement, problems the people face, and the support they get. We learned that people with disabilities should participate in society just like people without any disabilities, and that we have to minimize problems associated with independent living.

In our May group training, we learned how to give presentations and how to write proposals. I will apply these techniques when I go back to Fili.

The individual training started after the group training. First, I learned how to create a website during a PC training session and studied accessible information system DAISY at Assistive Technology Development Organization (ATDO). These training sessions were extremely useful.

After that, I went to Kyoto. At Uni, I learned about support for students with disabilities. I visited many universities and learned about centers for students with disabilities. I also learned about speech recognition software. This software is useful for people with hearing impairment to study. I also played sound table tennis for the first time in my life.

Then I went to Nippon Lighthouse Welfare Center for the Blind in Osaka, for a 3-week training course where I learned about support for people with visual impairment. I visited many institutions in Osaka for people with visual impairment. The thing that touched me most was a DAISY movie. There was a vocal guide, so I could follow the story very well. I also rode a tandem bike for the first time and played bowling as well. It was so fun to play new sports.

I then went to Hamamatsu Work-Shop with the Disabled–WITH, for another training course. At WITH, I saw artworks by people with visual impairment. The interesting thing was they were recycling used Braille paper and making postcards. I made my own white cane as well. I also went to enjoy cherry blossoms with the members of WITH. I tasted eels for the first time ever. It was very good.

Next, I visited Shiga Welfare Association for Persons with Visual Impairment. The association gave me a chance to play many new sports. I played baseball for the first time, as well as goal ball. I went dancing, and I even saw ninjas. After finding out that I like beer, the staff also took me to a beer factory. At the end of the factory tour, they let you taste their beers. I don’t think there are any such factories in Fiji. The people of Shiga were very fun to be with.

My last training took place at KOYUKAI Light Friend Association, in Kanagawa. About 60 people with disabilities live there. I learned how KOYUKAI offers support to people with disabilities. I also learned about support from the local government. The staff took me to Enoshima and Kamakura, where, once again, I played a new sport called rolling volley ball. The rules were really interesting.

During my home-stay program, I stayed at the home of a Japanese family. They let me experience daily lifestyle of Japan, Japanese culture and tradition, and Japanese foods I had never seen. We went to Yamanashi together, where I took pictures of Mt. Fuji. I went horse-riding for the first time, and also enjoyed a hot spring. I was so happy to be given so many new experiences.

I skied for the first time as well. I had never seen snow until then. We also went to Disneyland and got on many rides. It was truly wonderful.

I also played blind soccer and participated in a marathon. The styles were a little different between Japan and Fiji, but it was so fun. I also experienced climbing for the first time in my life. It was great fun.

When I go back to Fiji, I would like to do three things.

First, I would like to launch a national soccer and goal ball team for people with disabilities. I would like to then take part in the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics and see my friends in Japan again.

Second, I would like to talk to the government of Fiji about accessibility and make our society barrier-free. For instance, I would like to implement Braille blocks and slopes. There are no musical traffic lights in Fiji, so I would like to work on that as well.

Third, I would like to introduce DAISY books to Fiji and create a library for people with visual impairment.

From the bottom of my heart, I would like to thank everyone from the Duskin AINOWA Foundation, the Duskin family, the Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities, and everyone who welcomed me at my training destinations. Thank you so much.