Holding a training session for volunteers from the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum！

(The following report was produced by Viviana Pérez during her internship at JICA Yokohama.)

Last Tuesday, February 27, JICA Yokohama held a training session on "How to provide better services to people with disabilities" for volunteers from the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum. This event was possible due to the support and coordination of the Kanagawa Prefectural Headquarters Office for the Promotion of Coexistence, Welfare and the Future of Children.

First, Kanagawa Prefectural officials presented the initiatives they are carrying out based on the ordinance "Welfare for People with Disabilities from the Perspective of People with Disabilities."

Among the main initiatives are the Kanagawa Charter for Coexistence, the preparation of brochures with information about the Kanagawa Charter and volunteer activities, as well as the social participation projects involving people with disabilities. It is essential to highlight the solid resilience of Kanagawa Prefecture, which translated into creating strategies and activities for the community to encourage better coexistence and a fairer society, and avoid tragic incidents such as the one that took place at the Tsukui Yamayurien. This incident occurred on July 26, 2016, in a support center for people with disabilities in Kanagawa Prefecture, when 19 people died and another 27 were injured.

Continuing with the training activities, volunteers from the Museum went to Odawara (Kanagawa Prefecture) to meet the OriHime robot. Participants could interact with the robot, operated remotely by Misaki-san, a person with limited mobility who has difficulty leaving her house. Misaki-san told us that she loves interacting with people; it makes her very happy, and she would want to work as a tour guide in order to know more people and places. This type of initiative provides an opportunity to include people with disabilities in employment and in the daily lives of community members. Furthermore, it promotes empathy and tolerance in the community and recognizes the equal human rights of people with disabilities.

Finally, the training culminated with a visit to the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History. During the tour, it was evident that the museum's infrastructure is well prepared for receiving people with disabilities. Also, the museum staff explained how to manage the museum and its volunteer activities.

The new knowledge and good practices from the Kanagawa Prefecture meant a lot to the volunteers from the Japanese Overseas Migration Museum, representing new alternatives for improving the service they provide at JICA Yokohama.