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Opening Speech

NAGASE Osamu (Visiting Professor, Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, JAPAN)@2015/11/30
East Asia Disability Studies Forum 2015 in Beijing
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It is my great pleasure to make a brief statement at the beginning of this auspicious East Asia Disability Studies Forum today in Beijing.

As you might remember, this disability studies forum started as an exchange between Korea and Japan in 2010 and since last year in Seoul, we are very happy to have our Chinese colleagues and friends with us. In fact we are delighted to meet in Beijing. Thank you so much to our hosts, including different stakeholders and Handicap International, particularly to its country director Alessandra Aresu and Maggie Sun.

As you note, our political leaders of three countries, Mr. Xi, Ms. Park and Mr. Abe finally met recently. I am happy about it. But it does not mean we can meet only when our political leaders agree to meet. No we should meet even when they do not. Or rather we should meet because they do not.

My first visit to Beijing was in 1988. I was young. Beijing was not like what it is today. I do not like to talk about my hair. But thirty years ago my hair was not like what it is today. What I mean to say is that Beijing has really developed.

One of my Beijing visits that I cannot forget was in January 1992 when I met Honourable Deng Pufang, who was heading China Disabled Persons Federation (CDPF). Then I was serving Senator Yashiro, a Japanese member of parliament with disabilities, who was the regional chair of Disabled Peoplesf International (DPI).

On behalf of Senator Yashiro, I asked Honorable Deng Pufang to persuade the government of China to propose the Asian and the Pacific Decade of Disabled Persons, which did happen and has made much difference by promoting rights-based approach around the region.

Because of the Asia Pacific Decade, we were able to make a lot of contribution to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) through our Bangkok Draft. Because of this initiative, we now have the Incheon Strategy to Make the Right Real for the third Asia Pacific Decade. But during those early years of regional initiative, there was little understanding of disability studies and its social model in this region.

Around the world, disability studies and the social model started to exercise its influences at the beginning of 1980s. For instance, Disabled Peoplesf International established itself on the social model constitution in 1981. It was Vic Finkelstein, who exiled from South Africa, one of the theorists of the social model and founders of British disabilities studies who fought hard to have this social model constitution of DPI.

The formal development of disability studies started in Japan in 1999, when Ishikawa and I co-edited gInvitation to Disability Studiesh, which of course included a chapter by Tateiwa. I feel very privileged that the book has been translated into Korean and got an award. Just as a reference, the co-editor, Ishikawa is running for the CRPD Committee which reviews reports by States Parties. If elected, Ishikawa will be the third sitting member from East Asia after Korea and China

In East Asia, there have been a growing interest in disability studies. The Japan Society for Disability Studies was born in 2003. I am very happy to share with you that the Korean Society for Disability Studies was born this year. There are emerging groups working on disability studies in other territories in East Asia, such as Taiwan. I hope that they will join this East Asia Disability Studies Forum in the future.

Disability studies, particularly through is social model, has informed the CRPD. And through the implementation of the CRPD, disability studies and the social model are informing official policies, though its process is taking time and progress is not as fast as we hope for.

In 2011, the definition of gpersons with disabilitiesh within the Japanfs Fundamental Law for Persons with Disabilities was revised to refer to gsocietal barriersh in line with the CRPD and the social model. Now the official documents on disability in Japan refer to the social model of disability, which was unthinkable even 5 years ago. This is certainly encouraging but putting the social model into practice is really challenging, in areas including services and protection of rights and advocacy, the themes of this meeting today. But we have to continue to try as we know this is challenging. Yes, it is challenging. That is why we must share, learn from each other and support each other. Yes, it is challenging. That is why we are meeting in Beijing to talk to old friends and make new friends.

In closing let me once again, thank our hosts in Beijing. I know that Maggie worked so hard to make it happen. I am feeling very excited to be part of this seminar and have conversations on disability studies with East Asian colleagues. I look forward to a very productive meeting today and beyond.

Thank you. ŽÓŽÓB


–ì¬FNAGASE Osamu
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