Through overseas technical support activities
Since 2015, Tonarino Kobo has also been engaged in overseas technical support activities.
It began when someone in the same line of work asked, “Would you like to help with activities in Thailand?”
Providing wheelchairs suited to each individual’s body
Thailand has been the main focus of the overseas technical support activities, which later expanded to Laos and Cambodia.
In these regions, wheelchairs donated from around the world are often handed over as they are, and children end up using them even though they do not fit their bodies. Wheelchairs that do not fit can lead to poor posture and pain.
What Oki and the others do is teach local staff the technique of “fitting”—adjusting donated wheelchairs to fit children’s bodies. They also teach them how to make “cardboard chairs” that provide seated support using locally available materials, in case no wheelchair is available.
These efforts eventually led to connections with people involved in local support, including children’s hospitals in Laos. They work together locally to create an environment that helps children “get up from being bedridden.” This work continues today.
Access to an appropriate wheelchair is a human right
As I listened to Oki talk about the work overseas, what struck me was the difference between Japan and other countries in how wheelchairs are viewed.
In Japan, the provision of wheelchairs is treated as part of welfare policy, but overseas guidelines position it as a matter of “human rights”.
“Access to an appropriate wheelchair is a human right.”
Oki says those words left a strong impression on her.
“That was the moment it really sank in: this is why I do this work,” Oki said.
The idea that children with disabilities having access to equipment suited to them is a necessary right for living, not special assistance. This was also deeply connected to the approach Tonarino Kobo has always valued: “standing alongside each person throughout their life.”
And the purpose of the support Oki and the others provide is “independence”, and ensuring that support systems function within each country. What is needed is for local people to be able to make, adjust, and provide support for things suited to each individual, using their own hands.
People locally have a positive determination to “support one another through our own efforts,” and Oki says that attitude is a major driving force behind their collaboration. “If they had only wanted donations or to be given things, I don’t think we could have worked together this closely,” she said.
With the resolve to take responsibility for that child’s future
Oki says that when she encountered the principle “See every child as your own” in materials from a local children’s hospital, she felt it had something in common with her own way of thinking.
That approach also resonated with words she had once heard from her mentor: “It’s not just about the wheelchair,” “accept the whole person,” and “get involved with the resolve to take responsibility for that child’s future.”
Making and handing over a wheelchair is not the end; it is important to consider the person’s life beyond that point, too.
Oki shared, with what seemed like a sense of conviction, how the values at the foundation of her work, which she has cherished for a long time, naturally extend to her overseas support activities.
What we want you to know about wheelchair users
“Since this is an interview with Kurashiki Tocotoco, I thought I’d especially like you to ask me about disaster preparedness,” Oki said, bringing up the topic.
Evacuation challenges brought to light by torrential rain disasters
The event that prompted her to think about this was something that actually happened during the July 2018 torrential rains.
At the time, some families with users who needed medical care were unable to find an evacuation shelter that could accommodate them and had no choice but to shelter at home. General evacuation shelters often lack a suitable environment for people to stay comfortably, with difficulties securing power and many steps, among other issues. For people with severe disabilities, evacuation itself is a major burden.
“They’re clearly ‘people who have difficulty evacuating,’” Oki said.
She also said that if information such as “there is a child in this home who attends a special needs school” were shared within the community, it could lead to help in an emergency, such as “checking in, carrying belongings, or transporting a wheelchair.”
Some parents reportedly give up on evacuating from the outset, thinking, “When it comes down to it, we’ll just have to stay home.” Going outside with medical equipment and other necessary items is a major burden even for routine hospital visits. In a disaster, the time needed to prepare and the difficulty of getting around can make evacuation an impossible choice.
“It’s the community that can help, after all,” Oki said. She says that thinking of the people left behind during the torrential rains makes her keenly aware of how important this is.
She says it was an experience that made her feel understanding and mutual support at the community level are essential, so that families needing support can feel, “Don’t give up on evacuating. There will definitely be someone who can help.”
These concerns are also connected to current efforts. They have gradually created opportunities to consider, together with users, supporters, and local government, what happens during a disaster, what people are worried about, and how to create evacuation options.
One initiative that grew out of this work is an event introducing assistive devices.
Event: “Children’s Assistive Devices FESTIVAL—A Future of Welfare Where ‘Can Do’ Keeps Expanding”
The Okayama Children’s Assistive Devices Network, in which Tonarino Kobo also participates, will hold an event introducing assistive devices for the first time in two years on February 8, 2026, at Kurashiki Health and Welfare Plaza.
This event brings together specialists in pediatric medicine and assistive devices to share information and raise awareness about assistive devices, with the aim of improving the quality of life (QOL) of children who need medical care or developmental support.
Quoted from the flyer
This year’s exhibition is scheduled to include a new section on “disaster preparedness.”
Since the experience of the July 2018 torrential rains, people directly affected and supporters across the prefecture have continued efforts to share evacuation challenges.
Securing power for medical equipment, preparing for floods and power outages, and ways to get around if an apartment building’s elevator becomes unusable—each person has different concerns.
To create an “evacuation plan that leaves no one behind,” people directly affected, supporters, and local government are working together to organize individual evacuation plans, consider essential items to take along, and gather information about portable power supplies.
The exhibition will introduce these efforts and provide a place for the whole community to consider the first steps toward evacuating safely.
Please check Instagram and the website for the latest information.
Post-interview reflections — Hoping this will be a starting point that reaches even one person
As I mentioned at the beginning, I had previously interviewed Tonarino Kobo for another job, and that connection led me to interview them again this time.
I first asked to do an interview in June.
Oki warmly replied, “I’ll be overseas for technical support and exhibitions in July and August, so I’d be happy to do it afterward, if that works for you.”
As I listened to her, I learned that an event (exhibition) was planned for February 2026. What’s more, it would be the first time it was held in Kurashiki. I had vaguely thought, “I hope this interview will be useful to someone,” and it seemed to coincide unexpectedly with “the moment it was needed.” Somewhere in my heart, I felt a one-sided sense of fate.
You could say it was all coincidence, but perhaps the convergence of several coincidences and the timing were inevitable. With that thought in mind, I hope this article will become a starting point that reaches even one person who needs it.
Tonarino Kobo details
| Organization name | Tonarino Kobo |
|---|---|
| Industry | Manufactures and sells custom-made wheelchairs, seating and positioning devices, and other assistive devices for children and adults with disabilities and older adults. |
| Representative | Oki Chinami |
| Year established | 1992 |
| Address | 2684-2 Kurotada, Bisei-cho, Ibara City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 0866-87-3211 |
| Website | Tonarino Kobo |
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