Certified NPO Parent Support Step: It is our role to share the experiences of parents of children with disabilities. An organization made up of parents of children and adults with disabilities.

Is extensive support only for children with disabilities—in other words, only for the “people directly affected”?

No. It is also needed by the parents and guardians raising children with disabilities.

In December 2012, people who shared this view established a peer-support organization.

It is the Certified NPO Parent Support Step.

Its operating members are parents of children and adults with disabilities.

In Nitta, Kurashiki City, it runs “Usagi Cafe, a Place for Parents,” where people in similar circumstances can gather and talk casually with the operating members as well.

As a parent of a child with a developmental disability myself, I wanted to experience the atmosphere, so I once visited Usagi Cafe.

I also felt a strong connection with Parent Support Step’s aspirations and principles, and wanted to learn more!

As awareness of various disabilities continues to grow, what role will Parent Support Step play?

Here, we introduce what we hope people will know as members of society, beyond the categories of directly affected and not directly affected.

What is Parent Support Step?

Parent Support Step (hereafter, Step) is an organization that supports parents and guardians of children with disabilities.

Its core operating members are parents of children and adults with disabilities, making it an organization that understands the parents and guardians of children with disabilities particularly well.

Based on their own experiences, the members concluded that “supporting parents is what matters most.” That is why the words “Parent” (parents) and “Support” (assistance) are part of the organization’s name.

However, providing parent support is not its only purpose.

Through activities such as “peer support” (consultation support services) for parents and guardians of children with disabilities, the organization aims to contribute indirectly to the healthy development of children with disabilities.

It aims to create a system that connects parents and guardians of children with disabilities to supporters, regardless of luck or where they live, and to build a society where they can raise their children with peace of mind, feeling supported.

Step’s main activities can be broadly divided into the following three areas.

Usagi Cafe, a Place for Parents

Usagi Cafe, a Place for Parents (hereafter, Usagi Cafe) has operated since April 2016 as a “place to belong,” as its name suggests, where parents and guardians can connect and relax.

Visitors can also talk casually with the Usagi Cafe staff.

In everyday life, if you psych yourself up by thinking, “I’m having a problem with this; okay, I’m going to ask for advice,” it can be hard to get out the door—and even if you do, it may be difficult to talk about it.

One thing that makes it easier for people to seek advice at Usagi Cafe is that it is not simply a “consultation center.” Visitors pay for food and drinks like at a cafe, which puts them on a more equal footing with the staff.

This makes it easier to ask for advice casually.

I found myself thinking, “Talking over a delicious meal really does help you relax.”

Perhaps that is one of its benefits.

In late April 2021, my wife, child, and I visited Usagi Cafe.

The staff and director, Ando Kiyoko, greeted us, which made me feel reassured that they were looking out for us.

The other visitors that day included parents with children, people on their own, and pairs.

Perhaps because I had my child with me, even though we were meeting for the first time, we could easily chat, asking things like, “How old are they?” and “How cute!”

I felt a very warm atmosphere.

Apparently, visitors sometimes talk among themselves, with an experienced mother offering advice, saying something like, “I overheard a little of what you were saying earlier.”

Kurashiki Parenting Handbook: You Are Not Alone

There are two books titled “Kurashiki Parenting Handbook: You Are Not Alone.”

• Kurashiki Parenting Handbook: You Are Not Alone series
• You Are Not Alone: Supporting Parents of Children with Disabilities, Starting with Creating a Place to Belong in Kurashiki

Kurashiki Parenting Handbook: You Are Not Alone series

As of June 2023, three books in the series “Kurashiki Parenting Handbook: You Are Not Alone” have been published. They were created by parents and guardians raising children with disabilities.

The books include things they wished they had known while raising their children, such as “I wish I’d had this information” and “I didn’t know about this…”

As you can see from the contents, the books follow the stages of a child’s development.

You can buy just the book covering what you need now, or read ahead about what to expect in the future.

Although “Kurashiki Parenting” is in the title, the books are also useful for readers from other cities, wards, towns, and villages.

I live in Okayama City and read the books myself; I found the columns in the latter half particularly memorable.

Because we are all “parents and guardians raising children with disabilities,” there are things we can relate to.

The “Kurashiki Parenting Handbook: You Are Not Alone” series costs 500 yen per book (tax included) and is available at the following locations.

You can also purchase the books through the online shop “handmade Usagi” or the inquiry form on the official website.

You Are Not Alone: Supporting Parents of Children with Disabilities, Starting with Creating a Place to Belong in Kurashiki

The other book, “You Are Not Alone: Supporting Parents of Children with Disabilities, Starting with Creating a Place to Belong in Kurashiki,” is written by Step’s representative, Ando. It describes the day-to-day realities of supporting parents and guardians, in the form of an activity record.

It covers a wide range of topics, including Step’s founding, creating places to belong, support for parents and guardians, and recovery support following the July 2018 heavy rains.

I related to the following passage at the beginning of the book.

“I think everyone just isn’t trying hard enough!”
Looking back, it was quite an arrogant thing to say, almost laughable. But at the time, I was proud of how hard I was working, and that made me irritated with people who, in my eyes, “weren’t trying hard enough” or were “unenthusiastic.”

Quoted from p. 16

I’m embarrassed to admit that I sometimes think the same way.

However, the feelings Ando experienced became a kind of driving force, and I thought they must have helped Step in some way as it developed into the organization it is today.

Like the “Kurashiki Parenting Handbook: You Are Not Alone” series, this book can also be purchased through the online shop “handmade Usagi” or the inquiry form on the official website. It costs 1,650 yen (tax included).

It is also available on Amazon and at bookstores.

Other Activities (Talks, Tea Gatherings, Events, Online Courses, Supporter Training Courses)

Step also holds talks, tea gatherings, and events as part of its other activities.

For talks, it plans and coordinates study sessions and training workshops according to needs, and also dispatches speakers.

One of its larger events is the “Forum for Raising Awareness of Support for Parents of Children with Disabilities,” held every March.

For tea gatherings, Step visits schools, kindergartens, nursery schools, certified childcare centers, Community Centers, and welfare service providers to offer a place for parents and guardians of children with disabilities to connect, especially those who feel it is difficult to travel far from home.

Events include, for example, the following.

For example, Usagi Cafeteria is held in the evening and is specifically for fathers.

Step’s director, Ando, takes part, and the other staff members are all men.

And what happens? Even fathers who are usually not very talkative apparently get chatting.

The staff are said to remark, “This is such a rare and precious sight.”

I’d like to take part myself sometime.

Step is currently holding “USAGI-LABO” (Usagi Lab), a course on creating places to belong, community development, and regional development, to support people engaged in civic activities that improve their communities. It is offered as an online course and supporter training course.

It is a 12-month series of courses running from April 30, 2021, to March 25, 2022.

Even if you’re wondering whether it’s okay to join after the course has started, there’s no need to worry.

There are also options to join the full course partway through, including “catch-up full-course enrollment,” which lets you watch videos of previous sessions.

For details, see the relevant page on Step’s website.

“handmade Usagi,” Sharing the Realities of Parents of Children with Disabilities

Step supports parents and guardians of children with disabilities through various support services, projects, and other activities.

In April 2021, it began selling handmade items created by parents and guardians of children with disabilities through the online shop “handmade Usagi.”

At first, sales were mainly through the online shop and at Usagi Cafe, but the activity has since expanded as “a place for parents of children with disabilities to present their work.”

The “Handmade Market at Mizushima Ai-ai Salon,” held on May 14, 2023, drew around 300 visitors. People of all kinds gathered, from babies to grandparents, including people with and without disabilities.

Ando Kiyoko, the chairperson, said:

“We made this an NPO project because we thought that handmade artists could serve as role models for parents of children with disabilities, showing them how to hold on to what they love, make themselves the main character, and live their own lives.

I hope that seeing the artists enthusiastically selling their work will encourage mothers in similar situations.”

Welfare platform “Kurashiki Shien LABO”

“Kurashiki Shien LABO” is a cross-organizational and cross-sector project launched with a grant from the Toyota Foundation to create a platform for advancing community welfare in Kurashiki City.

Step serves as its secretariat.

Its particular focus is on “the lives of adults with disabilities.” Apparently, many people spend their days simply going back and forth between home and workplaces such as vocational support facilities, without having opportunities for enjoyment befitting adults.

For this reason, it continues its activities by planning events such as live performances and theater that everyone can enjoy together, with or without disabilities.

Step has continued supporting “parents of children with disabilities” since December 2012.

We spoke with Ando Kiyoko, chairperson of the board, who founded Parent Support Step with her peers.

Certified NPO Parent Support Step: Information

Name	Certified NPO Parent Support Step
Address	2463-6 Shinden, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture
Contact	086-431-1651
Parking	None Please contact them before visiting about parking.
Hours	Phone hours: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Usagi Cafe: 10:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. (Tuesdays and Thursdays only) Individual consultations: Tuesdays and Thursdays, afternoons (one-hour sessions starting at 1:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.)
Closed	Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays May also close as needed
Fees (tax included)	Usagi Cafe: Cost of food and drinks Individual consultations: Free
Payment methods	Cash
Reservations	Usagi Cafe: Due to capacity limits during the COVID pandemic, please contact them in advance if possible. Individual consultations: Reservation required
Restroom	Western-style toilet
Childcare	Diaper-changing space available
Website	Certified NPO Parent Support Step

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