Accessibility Is Freedom

Lectures

Articles

  • Just Meeting the Standard Is Shameful!!!

    Just Meeting the Standard Is Shameful!!!

    Japan builds the best sidewalks in the world. I’ve been there twice — every path, every corner, beautiful, immaculate, built to incredibly high standards. Yellow tactile paving for people with visual impairments is everywhere. Sidewalk levels aren’t too high, making it easier to build ramps — and they build wide, full-width ramps that even everyday pedestrians use without realizing it. It’s not just because of strict laws and enforcement. It’s because Japan has a culture of “Shokunin Katagi” (職人気質) — the craftsman’s spirit that believes just meeting the standard is “shameful.” You must always exceed the standard. And “Omotenashi” (おもてなし)…

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  • “2.6x More Profit, 2x Longer Retention – Hiring People with Disabilities Isn’t Pity, It’s Profit!!!”

    “2.6x More Profit, 2x Longer Retention – Hiring People with Disabilities Isn’t Pity, It’s Profit!!!”

    Forget the word “pity” — the numbers speak for themselves. Accenture analyzed 346 companies worldwide and found that companies that actively hire people with disabilities earn 1.6x more revenue, 2.6x more net profit, and 25% higher productivity. Walgreens hired over 1,000 people with disabilities — 78% less absenteeism, 2x longer retention. SAP launched the Autism at Work program in 12 countries — 90% retention rate, contributing to company patents. And accommodation costs? 59% cost nothing at all!!! Bangkok Metropolitan Administration, BMA 🇹🇭 sets an example for every organization — hiring 629 people with disabilities, with over 100 appointed as permanent…

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  • “Reaching Over a Billion People Every Day, But Never Forgetting Those Who Can’t Step Over a Bathtub – LIXIL Designs for Everyone!!!”

    “Reaching Over a Billion People Every Day, But Never Forgetting Those Who Can’t Step Over a Bathtub – LIXIL Designs for Everyone!!!”

    People who can’t step over a bathtub don’t just need grab bars — they need a shower that wraps them in warmth like soaking in a hot bath. LIXIL, the world’s largest sanitary ware company, created the “Body Hug Shower” — a 10-nozzle shower that envelops the body in warm water. Co-designed with wheelchair users from the start, it’s already in use at care facilities. LIXIL has been in business for 77 years, with revenue exceeding $10.1 billion, 60,000 employees across over 150 countries, and owns the brands INAX, GROHE, and American Standard. The company’s products reach the lives of…

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  • “£288 Million Project, Yet Only 2 Stations Accessible – Glasgow Has Brave People Standing Up for an Equal Future”

    “£288 Million Project, Yet Only 2 Stations Accessible – Glasgow Has Brave People Standing Up for an Equal Future”

    Rae, an 18-year-old wheelchair user, has to “bump down the stairs on their backside” every time they use the Glasgow Subway. They say, “Sometimes it feels like being in a zoo.” But instead of giving up, they founded the Access to Transport Network and led over 30 people in a protest outside Hillhead station on March 22. Since 2011, the subway system has spent over £288 million on upgrades, yet out of 15 stations, only 2 are accessible to wheelchair users. The new trains launching in 2025 have wheelchair spaces — but the stations still don’t have lifts!!! Protest signs…

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