A11yTokyo - Accessibility Tokyo Meetup

Exploring Accessibility with My Four-Legged Partner "Hearing Dog"

Thu, May 28 · 7:30 PM JST

Yahoo! Japan, Chiyoda Ward, Kioicho 1-3, Tokyo Garden Terrace Kioicho, Kioi Tower, Tokyo, JP

• Registration Form If you'll join us at the venue in Tokyo, you must get an entry pass. Please fill in your name on the form so that you could get it at the entrance gate on the 2nd-floor.
• How to get to the venue
• Venue: You won't be able to enter the venue after 19:30. Although this meetup page says it is an in-person event, this is a hybrid event that is streamed on Zoom.
• Language: This session will be conducted in Japanese.
• Japanese captions and Auto-translated captions will also be available

Are you familiar with service dogs for people with physical disabilities?
The term “service dog” is a general term that encompasses guide dogs, service dogs, and hearing dogs—dogs that assist people with visual impairments, physical disabilities, and hearing impairments in their daily lives, respectively.

In Japan, more than 10 years before the Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities (2016), the Assistance Dogs for Persons with Physical Disabilities Act was enacted as Japan’s first “law recognizing accessibility for people with disabilities.”

I will share my thoughts on what I have learned through living with a hearing dog since before the law existed, my involvement in the law’s enactment, and my ongoing work with assistance dogs and disability awareness campaigns—as well as my hopes for the future.

I plan to take the stage on the day of the event alongside my current partner, my hearing dog "Champ".

Accessible, Hybrid, Multilingual Meetup
A11yTokyo Meetup is a unique meetup that features various genres of 'accessibility', conducted in a hybrid format of on-site and online broadcasting, primarily in Japanese and English.

Many foreigners participate in the on-site venue in Tokyo, building networks through socialization sessions. We use the voice recognition technology app 'UD Talk' to provide real-time captions, and its automatic translation feature allows for multi-language subtitle translation.

In past Tokyo venues, many Japanese and foreigners have participated. The post-session networking opportunity is a chance to build a global network! Additionally, people from various countries participate online from both within Japan and abroad.

Time Schedule
19:15 Venue Open
19:30 - 19:45 Introduction
19:45 - 20:30 Special sessions
20:30 - 21:00 Networking (Only at the venue)

Speaker Profile
Eri Matsumoto
She suffered from progressive hearing loss, which gradually worsened until she became completely deaf at the age of 23. After marrying at 26, she began living with a hearing assistance dog. As one of the first people in Japan to live with a hearing assistance dog—a practice that had only just begun and involved very few dogs at the time—she launched awareness campaigns, including sharing stories about her daily life with the dog. She also served as a committee member involved in the drafting of the Assistance Dogs for Persons with Disabilities Act in 2002.

Even after the law took effect, she has continued her efforts to promote understanding of assistance dogs and disability awareness through events, lectures, and outreach classes at schools, while also serving on various government committees. Additionally, as a fan of theater, movies, and TV dramas, she travels to theaters across the country with her hearing dog and shares information about accessibility in these venues.

Resident of Tokyo

• Board Member of the Japan Assistance Dog Information Center,
• Representative of the Japan Hearing Dog
• Partners Association, Certified Social Worker

Access to Venue

• Location: Open Collaboration Hub LODGE (LINE Yahoo Co., Ltd., Kioicho Office)
• Registration form for joining us at the venue
• Online participation is planned via a Zoom meeting. URL and other details will be provided in advance.
• Japanese captions and auto-translation will be available on your web browser.
• Address: 17th Floor, Garden Terrace Kioicho, 1-3 Kioicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo (directly connected to Nagatacho Station)
• The detail is documented in How to Get to the Venue

Sponsors
Thanks to LINE Yahoo for providing their venue.