Nice communication! (October 30, 2020)

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, our lives and ways of working have changed significantly.
Unexpected lifestyles such as wearing masks and acting avoiding the three-density, and above all, it was necessary to keep a distance between people.
However, there are people who have been challenged with new attempts to create "joy meeting" and "fun of gathering" in this situation.
This time, I would like to introduce Elderly and Disabled Support Division's efforts. People with disabilities were connected online and shared a wonderful time.

October 30, 2020 Hiroshi Teraoka, Nishi-ku

On Monday, October 12, the West PEC General Assembly was held online for the first time.

West PEC is a subcommittee of the Nishi Ward Independence Support Council, which is organized by support organizations for persons with disabilities.
The name comes from the 2010 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) conference in Pacifico-yokohama. The catchphrase of this meeting was "a week when Yokohama is the center of the world." In response to this, Ideaman Hino, director of NPO Infinity Yume Kobo, named it with the idea that people with disabilities will be the center of Nishi Ward.

Until now, West PEC has held meetings and events to listen to the voices of the parties concerned about once a month.
However, as it became difficult to live as before, such as being unable to go to the place of activity due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I tried to meet online because I wanted to connect with my friends because of this era.
With the full cooperation of Mr. Nishitomo Hiroba, we made it a living creation space, a life support center, and connected cafe animal with zoom, and talked about what they felt every day. Oguro, director of Health and Welfare Center, also participated from the ward office and heard everyone's thoughts.

Mr. Yamamoto, who goes west of the Life Support Center, raised a problem about evacuation in the event of a disaster, saying, "I do not know where to escape in the event of a typhoon."
Mr. Takahashi, who goes to the west, wrote a letter in the hand of the staff, saying, "I want you to be able to live my original life as soon as possible even if I think Corona is inevitable."
In addition, Mr. Sasaki, who attends the Infinity Dream Studio, conveyed his thoughts while facing the difficult situation, saying, "When you are in a difficult situation, your role and place are very important."

Everyone smiled just by seeing them through the screen, calling out and waving their hands. I realized once again that I was so happy to be able to see my voice, reaching my voice, and connect with someone.
In addition, by using online, we were able to learn about the unique advantages of online, such as making it easier for people who could not participate for various reasons until now, and share the atmosphere of each other.
At West PEC, I would like to continue creating opportunities for people with disabilities to communicate in their own words and to continue to create opportunities for people with disabilities to listen directly to their voices.
Thank you very much for your time.