Since the adoption of the international agenda consisting of 17 goals to be achieved by 2030, known as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal 10, which aims to “correct inequalities within and between countries,” by the United Nations in 2015, it feels like there has been a significant increase in events that people with disabilities can participate in.
Because events that can be enjoyed regardless of disability have become standard, it is necessary to take time to stop and consider “why we are holding these events” and “how we can enrich the lives, work, and leisure of people with disabilities.”
In this context, Kurashiki Support LABO, which plans events that anyone can enjoy regardless of disability, holds an event every two years that serves as a summary of daily support for people with disabilities.
The “Support LABO Festival,” which was a great success in 2023, will become an even more academic event and will enliven Kurashiki in the fall of 2025.
We conducted an interview to gather an overview and the thoughts behind the event.
What is Kurashiki Support LABO?
Kurashiki Support LABO is engaged in efforts to enable people with disabilities to lead rich lives within the community.
While it is possible to live a minimum standard of life through public social welfare systems, existing systems cannot provide the options for living that people with disabilities need to engage with the community.
To change this situation, Kurashiki Support LABO holds events such as matchmaking seminars, music events at café bars, and floral decoration (flower arrangement performance) events, in a way that anyone can participate, regardless of disability.
What is the Kurashiki Support LABO Research Conference?
Support for people with disabilities is carried out by various organizations, and there is not much opportunity to share each other's activities within Kurashiki City. While events that anyone can participate in, regardless of disability, have been increasing, these are also conducted individually by each organization, and there is a need for connections to share their purposes and know-how.
This led to the planning of the “Kurashiki Support LABO Research Conference.”
Anyone interested in the realities of welfare for people with disabilities, including those involved in daily support for people with disabilities, individuals with disabilities and their families, students and companies who want to engage in disability support, can participate.
A chance to hear about the realities of welfare for people with disabilities in Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyushu
The “Kurashiki Support LABO Research Conference” will be held on November 9, 2025 (Sunday) at Kurashiki Civic Hall.
Details and application methods are as follows.
On the day, there will be eight subcommittees set up under the theme of “Towards the realization of the ‘richness’ of people with disabilities living in the community.”
Please check the following image for the schedule of the day.
In each subcommittee venue, not only welfare personnel from Kurashiki but also presenters from outside Kurashiki City, including those involved in disability support in Nagoya, Osaka, and Kyushu, will present.
It will be an environment where we can discuss from multiple perspectives how local organizations are approaching daily support and what practices are being implemented in other regions.
Lunch box tickets are recommended
The participation fee is 1,900 yen per person, and lunch box tickets are also available.
There are eight types of lunch boxes available.
- Yakiniku Shokudo Burisuke “Pork Kalbi and Chicken Bowl”: 2,750 yen
- Yakiniku Bento Burisuke “Beef Kalbi and Chicken Bowl”: 2,800 yen
- Food Assistance Yummy “Dashi-maki Nori Bento”: 3,000 yen
- Food Assistance Yummy “Whimsical Bento”: 2,900 yen
- Karaage Zen-chan “Today's Karaage Bento”: 2,750 yen
- Karaage Zen-chan “Karaage Kashiwameshi”: 2,650 yen
- Sakamoto Egg “Boiled Egg Sandwich 1 pack”: 2,420 yen
- Sakamoto Egg “Boiled Egg Sandwich 2 packs”: 2,840 yen
All prices include tax
Due to reservations with the lunch box vendors, it is advisable to purchase tickets by one week before the event.
Lunch box tickets are also available for Peatix for advance payment.
The sales corner of organizations supporting Kurashiki Support LABO is free to enter
The keynote speech and subcommittees will be held on the second and third floors of Kurashiki Civic Hall, but the sales corner on the first floor is free to enter.
Sweets made by welfare facilities in Kurashiki City and handmade items operated by members of Certified NPO Parent Support Step, which supports Kurashiki Support LABO, will be available for purchase as souvenirs from the research conference.
If you feel like participating in a subcommittee after checking out the sales, you can also pay the participation fee at the reception on the day of the event.
Interview with the organizers
We spoke with Ando Kiyoko, one of the founders of the Kurashiki Support LABO Research Conference, about her thoughts on the event.
Could you tell us about the background of the “Support LABO Research Conference”?
Ando (no honorifics)
When we held the “Support LABO Festival” in 2023, Kurashiki Support LABO was receiving a grant from the Toyota Foundation, so we held the event as a summary of that support.
The time spent summarizing our two years of activities was very meaningful for us, and we wanted to have such a time every two years in the future.
Two years have passed since then.
Kurashiki Support LABO has been holding various events on its own. What has been realized is this “Kurashiki Support LABO Research Conference.”
The theme of “Towards the realization of the ‘richness’ of people with disabilities living in the community” was decided through discussions during a retreat held by the members of Kurashiki Support LABO in the spring of this year (2025).
What does “richness” refer to?
Ando
I believe there are various vectors to “richness.”
In addition to financial richness, having more options for people with disabilities is also a form of richness.
We believe that even with disabilities, people should be able to participate in events, engage in romantic relationships, and have a wider range of choices in their lives.
There are many aspects that cannot be fully supported by national support systems. We want to support the areas that are not covered by national support systems through Kurashiki Support LABO and have continued our activities.
This research conference is an event where not only welfare personnel involved in disability support but also individuals with disabilities, their families, local residents, and companies from various positions gather in the same space.
At the research conference, we do not intend to directly discuss “how to realize richness.”
Before that, we believe it is meaningful to have an opportunity to collectively consider the contradictions regarding richness and the issues faced in the gaps of the system that we currently have.
By clarifying the issues, we propose to take a moment to think about what activities will be necessary over the next two years.
Last year was the “Support LABO Festival,” but this time the name has changed to “Support LABO Research Conference.”
Ando
Last time, there were many shops participating, and it had an entertainment aspect, but this time we wanted to create a more academic setting, so we changed the name.
The program also includes “keynote speeches” and “subcommittees,” making it more like a research meeting or academic conference.
While the term “research conference” may sound a bit grand, we want to create an opportunity for everyone involved in disability support to come together and think about the challenges faced in the current field of disability support.
Amid various challenges, each supporter is creatively working on support in their respective fields. Bringing these together could lead to an elevation of the disability welfare field in Kurashiki.
Through the research conference, we hope that by learning about various practices and meeting like-minded peers, the number of supporters who engage in disability support with motivation and enjoyment will increase.
Moreover, in Kurashiki City, there are not many opportunities for people involved in disability welfare to share their practices across organizations and support areas. By listening to various presentations, we hope participants will return with the goal of “I want to present my practice at this research conference in two years!” and strive in their respective fields.
The more lively the discussions among supporters become, the more individuals with disabilities and their families will feel, “There are so many people who care about us,” and this will surely uplift their spirits.
This is the second time as a summary event for Kurashiki Support LABO, but it is the first step as an academic gathering for those involved in disability support in Kurashiki.
Ando
Yes.
Many markets and events have a purpose they want to solve, and attracting participants should be a means to that end, but often attracting participants becomes the goal itself.
That is why we want this research conference to be a time to stop and think about what kind of society we want to aim for in our future activities.
While it may be a somewhat complex event, I believe it is a necessary event to articulate our purpose in order to increase the number of supporters, such as companies and local residents who say they want to help.
What kind of people would you like to participate?
Ando
Anyone who has even a slight interest in the term “disability welfare” is very welcome.
We would love for not only those who are usually involved in disability welfare but also individuals with disabilities and their families to participate and share their voices, and we hope to see passionate supporters as well.
Additionally, we would like students who are not currently involved in disability welfare but wish to engage in it in the future, as well as companies and local residents who want to support people with disabilities through employment, to participate.
It seems there will also be presenters from outside Kurashiki City.
Ando
Yes.
We will invite presenters from Osaka for “The Divide between Childhood and Adulthood,” from Nagoya for “The Future of Employment Support,” and from Kyoto and Kyushu for “The Profitability of Consultation Support.”
By learning about initiatives outside Kurashiki City, we hope participants will gain new insights and also realize the unique strengths of disability welfare in Kurashiki.
Could you tell us how to enjoy the day?
Ando
The presenters in the subcommittees are primarily discussion starters, so we encourage all participants to feel free to join the discussions. We hope both presenters and participants will engage in a flat relationship to enliven the subcommittees.
Also, you are free to leave at any time, so you can check out various subcommittees or enjoy shopping in the gallery space on the first floor at your leisure.
In the gallery space on the first floor, there will be works by users of welfare facilities in Kurashiki City, as well as handmade items created by parents of children with disabilities, along with shops of those who support our activities.
We hope that participants from outside Kurashiki City will also enjoy shopping for souvenirs from Kurashiki.
The lunch boxes are all selected from those we have actually tasted and found delicious, so please consider the ticket that includes a lunch box. You can eat at the subcommittee venue, allowing you to enjoy your meal without interrupting the discussions.
Those involved in disability welfare can connect with fellow colleagues who are working hard in the field of disability support and take the time to think slowly about what kind of practices they want to build towards the research meeting in two years.
A word to the readers, please.
Ando
It's okay if you don't have a grand sense of purpose.
If you feel some interest or curiosity, we would like everyone to participate.
Conclusion
As a person with a hearing impairment, when I want to participate in an event, I first need to check if there is sign language interpretation or text interpretation available. If not, I have to apply for an interpreter myself to the organizers or local government. Therefore, it takes a lot of effort to act on just a slight interest, which results in me staying away from events.
However, with the events of Kurashiki Support LABO, there is a sense of reassurance that the supporters will think together about "how we can enjoy the event together," and I have also registered for the LINE open chat.
In the open chat, invitations to events come about once a week, covering a wide range of themes such as snacks, bonfires, and matchmaking. I had the impression that people with disabilities could only attend events with support, but the events of Kurashiki Support LABO are characterized by having support for everything while also offering a wide range of options.
One reason for this is that the organizers are thinking about the theme of "the richness of life for people with disabilities," and I realized and agreed with this.
Let's take some time to understand what kind of ingenuity supporters are implementing during events and what kind of support they feel is necessary in the future, and think together with the community about how to create a "richness" that everyone can live easily.
Support LABO Research Meeting Data
| Name | Support LABO Research Meeting |
|---|---|
| Date | November 9, 2025 (Sunday) |
| Location | 17-1 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Participation Fee (tax included) | 1,900 yen |
| Homepage | Kurashiki Support LABO (Gachinko) Research Meeting Official Facebook Page |
