WheeLog! is a digital version of the Barrier-Free Map that shares barrier-free information based on user experiences, including paths actually traveled by wheelchair users and facilities visited and utilized by users themselves.
In Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture, a wheelchair walking event is held every spring and autumn, coinciding with the update of the Barrier-Free Map.
In spring 2024, a pre-event for the wheelchair walking event will feature lectures by wheelchair users Yosuke Ochimizu and Tatsuya Miyoi.
The initiator of the lecture is Miho Moriue, who was the first to organize a wheelchair walking event in Okayama Prefecture.
This lecture is said to be Moriue's dream that has been five years in the making.
We have interviewed her about her feelings regarding the lecture.
Miho Moriue, Organizer of the Bikan Historical Area Wheelchair Walking Event
Miho Moriue, who hosted the first wheelchair walking event in Okayama, lived with her grandmother who was a wheelchair user during her childhood. Moriue's grandmother often felt negative due to her physical limitations, and Moriue witnessed her struggles with life in a wheelchair.
After becoming a working adult, Moriue became a physical therapist responsible for the maintenance of the bodies of bedridden and wheelchair users.
Through her work, she had more opportunities to interact with wheelchair users and began to think about the nature of barrier-free environments.
In an effort to see things from the perspective of those directly affected, she started attending wheelchair walking events organized by WheeLog! in Kyoto and Fukuyama, as well as lectures by wheelchair users, and has been regularly hosting wheelchair walking events and lectures by wheelchair users in Okayama Prefecture.
Currently, she focuses not only on environmental barrier-free aspects, such as "having ramps to bypass steps" and "having pathways wide enough for wheelchairs," but also on mental barrier-free aspects, where assistance from store staff can be obtained even in environments that may be inconvenient for wheelchair users. She holds wheelchair walking events in the Bikan Historical Area twice a year, in spring and autumn.
The Background of How Organizer Miho Moriue Came to Hold the Lecture
What led to the organization of this lecture, "Never Give Up on Challenges - A Five-Year Dream and What Comes Next," by Moriue?
I Want to Hold a Lecture
Can you tell us what inspired you to plan the lecture?
Moriue (no honorifics)
This lecture is a five-year dream of mine.
I currently work as a physical therapist at a nursing care facility, responsible for the maintenance of the bodies of bedridden and wheelchair users, but I rarely have the opportunity to see things from the perspective of those directly affected.
I attended a lecture by wheelchair user Tatsuya Miyoi.
The impact of that experience is something I still remember. His lecture included numerous stories from his journey around the world in a wheelchair. I was inspired by his stories of taking action to pursue what he wanted to do despite his disabilities.
What impressed me most was the appearance of the executive committee that organized the lecture. Every member of the committee seemed to enjoy running the event, and I thought it was wonderful.
At the same time, I realized that I had never taken on any significant challenges in my life, nor did I have any friends like the committee members, even though I do not have a disability.
So, I set a goal to "someday invite Miyoi to hold a lecture in Okayama where I live."
Hosting the First Wheelchair Walking Event in Okayama Prefecture
What actions did you take towards your goal of "holding a lecture"?
Moriue
In 2019, I participated in the wheelchair walking event WheeLog! in Kyoto, where I walked with wheelchair users.
I thought it was necessary to have experience from the perspective of those directly affected to understand Miyoi's thoughts.
On that day, it was the day of the Gion Matsuri, when the most people gather in Kyoto in a year. None of the barrier-free shops listed on the map could accommodate us, and the only place available was a curry shop with two steps in front.
As we discussed among participants, "There's no way we can get in here," a staff member came out and said, "If we help, you can get in," and they lifted the wheelchair and guided us into the shop.
I felt so excited. I wanted the people in my hometown of Okayama to experience this thrill.
When was the first wheelchair walking event held in Okayama?
Moriue
Initially, it was held in September 2020 in Takahashi City, where I live.
Through my experience at WheeLog! in Kyoto, I realized that what we needed was not only environmental barrier-free conditions but also friends with whom we could share the same space.
So, I decided to recruit friends using the WheeLog! app, wanting to walk not just by myself but with others.
However, at that time, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, I couldn't recruit a large number of participants. As a result, the event was held with just three people: myself, a junior from my student days, and a wheelchair user I met through the WheeLog! app.
As I shared the day's events through online events, more and more friends joined.
Regularly Hosting Wheelchair Walking Events in the Bikan Historical Area Since 2022
How did the wheelchair walking events in the Bikan Historical Area begin?
Moriue
When I asked the friends I gathered online, "Where would you like to hold the next wheelchair event?" the Bikan Historical Area came up as a candidate. Since then, we have been regularly hosting wheelchair walking events twice a year, in spring and autumn.
In spring 2024, the wheelchair walking event will be held on May 26 (Sunday).
Can you tell us why you are only holding events in the Bikan Historical Area without traveling to various regions?
Moriue
Towns are always changing, right? Roads are altered due to construction, and shops change.
Therefore, by continuing wheelchair walking events in the same area, we can provide more real information. I feel that it is important to deliver accurate information to those who need the barrier-free map, so we hold events regularly in the same area.
Now That I Have Friends, I Want to Hold a Lecture by Yosuke Ochimizu & Tatsuya Miyoi in Kurashiki
Initially, the wheelchair walking event in Okayama started with just Moriue going to Kyoto. Has there been a change in your feelings as your friends have increased?
Moriue
As the number of wheelchair walking events increased, not only my colleagues who are physical therapists and the first wheelchair users who participated, but also people from the travel and transportation industries, multidisciplinary friends have gathered. With the gathering of various professions, the perspectives for updating the barrier-free map have broadened.
Moreover, all my friends are positive individuals who want to challenge themselves in their respective fields.
Seeing them made me think, "If we are going to invite Miyoi, I want to do it in the Bikan Historical Area at this timing."
Initially, I thought it would be enough for my friends to hear Miyoi's story and feel energized. In fact, I have had few experiences in my life where many people were around me.
So, even now, being supported by someone feels like a dream.
This time, not only Miyoi but also Yosuke Ochimizu will be present at the lecture, right?
Moriue
Yes. The reason I wanted to hold a lecture was because of Miyoi, and I have attended his lectures several times since then.
Among them, I cannot forget the lecture held in Tomonoura, Fukuyama City, Hiroshima Prefecture in 2019, where both Tatsuya Miyoi and Yosuke Ochimizu spoke.
Ochimizu is also a wheelchair user like Miyoi. Opportunities to hear from multiple individuals with disabilities at once are rare, making it a very valuable experience.
Since I am hosting a lecture, I wanted to share the stories of each person living a wheelchair life with different backgrounds from accidents or illnesses with my friends.
The Yosuke Ochimizu & Tatsuya Miyoi Lecture "Never Give Up on Challenges - A Five-Year Dream and What Comes Next" is Open for Online Participation
So, "five-year dream" refers to your dream, Moriue. Can you tell us the details of the lecture?
Moriue
That's right. It's my dream (laughs).
The lecture will be held on May 25, 2024 (Saturday) from 7 PM to 9 PM at the Kurashiki Community Center in the second conference room.
The capacity is 50 people, and the participation fee is 3,000 yen, but thanks to my friends' efforts in promoting it, it has already become fully booked.
Currently, we are accepting applications for online participation. The online capacity is also 50 people, but the participation fee is a more affordable 1,000 yen compared to the on-site fee.
On the day of the event, it will be streamed via Zoom using smartphones and computers, and we will not be accepting questions or comments via chat, but we plan to keep an archive of the event.
For more details, please check the official Peatix page.
What do you hope participants will feel?
Moriue
First of all, I want them to know about WheeLog!'s barrier-free map and wheelchair walking events. While environmental barrier-free conditions require time and money, mental barrier-free efforts to help each other can be practiced by anyone immediately.
I hope Okayama, including Kurashiki, will be filled with mental barrier-free efforts.
I Want to Increase "Places for Challenges" in the Future
Now that the dream of hosting a lecture is just around the corner, can you share your future outlook?
Moriue
Currently, I am most interested in e-sports.
"E-sports" is short for "electronic sports," and broadly refers to all entertainment, competitions, and sports conducted using electronic devices, and is the term used when considering competitive play using computer games and video games as a sport.
Quoted from the official site of the Japan e-Sports Union
I want to be involved in supporting people with disabilities to participate in society in their own way and with a sense of purpose through e-sports, as part of the "ePARA" initiative. Okayama has many rich natural tourist spots, so I have ambitions to collaborate.
In this way, I want to continue helping create opportunities for others to challenge themselves.
Five years ago, when I first attended Miyoi's lecture, I was a lonely person who had never taken on any challenges.
However, through WheeLog!'s barrier-free map, wheelchair walking events, and the planning and management of this lecture, I have become someone who wants to challenge myself more and more.
There are many exciting things ahead, but first, I will do my best to ensure the success of the upcoming lecture.
Conclusion
Before the interview, I received a message from Moriue. It said,
"Honestly, I struggle with conversation. Is it okay if I type on the computer when I can't express my words well?"
I wondered what kind of person she was, and while preparing by searching for information about Moriue's activities and the speakers Ochimizu and Miyoi, I approached the interview with some anxiety.
However, when I actually spoke with her, I realized that her "struggling to express words" was not a functional issue, but rather a sign that she was very seriously choosing her words.
When she talked about her early activities, her expression was tense, but when the conversation shifted to the wheelchair walking events she participated in and her friends, her expression transformed into one of affection.
Moriue's activities convey her deep care for her friends and her enjoyment in planning and managing wheelchair walking events in Kurashiki.
Wouldn't you like to join in listening to the five-year dream of one woman?
Yosuke Ochimizu & Tatsuya Miyoshi Lecture "Don't Give Up on Your Dreams - Five-Year Dream and What Comes Next - Data
| Name | Yosuke Ochimizu & Tatsuya Miyoshi Lecture "Don't Give Up on Your Dreams - Five-Year Dream and What Comes Next |
|---|---|
| Date | May 25, 2024 (Saturday) 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM |
| Location | 2-21 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation Fee (including tax) | In-person participation 3,000 yen, Online participation 1,000 yen |
| Homepage | Yosuke Ochimizu & Tatsuya Miyoshi Okayama Lecture |
