Over the last weekend, 26 and 27 February, our Institute of Ars Vivendi hosted the East Asia Disability Studies Forum on Living Independently in the Community, the article 19 of the CRPD, with participation from China, South Korea, Taiwan and Japan.
The meeting was held virtually with Chinese, Korean, and Japanese simultaneous interpretation with Japanese Sign Language and captioning.
Following two keynotes, there were four very interesting sessions on independent living movement, family, sexuality and reproductive rights, and persons with psychosocial disabilities, all in its relation to independent living in the community. A number of similar issues such as the heavy reliance on the family were identified as a factor preventing independent living.
English PPTs and abstracts as well as profiles and photos of speakers are available,
http://www.arsvi.com/a/20220226.htm
At the closing, European Disability Forum’s Statement on “Protection and safety of persons with disabilities in Ukraine” was shared both in English and Japanese translation and many participants expressed their support.
The Forum was closed by the invitation to the next Forum in South Korea in 2023 by Prof. Kim Kyung-Mee, President of the Korean Society for Disability Studies.