We may change the future - 35 year effort of AAAS to promote for disabled people's participation into Science and Technology

In Oct. 2011, one of my articles about AAAS's short history about supporting students and scientists with disabilities appeared in a Japanese magazine "Kagaku(=Science)" of Iwanami Bookstore.
For convenience of English speaking people, I translated the article into English.

I'd like to thank Ms. Virginia Stern and AAAS .
Virginia, thank you for your patience for my bad and insufficient English. And I'm very happy that I could introduce your precious witness of age to the readers of "Kagaku" with cultural accomplishment and interest in science.

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 We may change the future - 35 year effort of AAAS to promote for disabled people's　participation into Science and Technology
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Yoshiko　Miwa


AAAS is an American organization, but influencing for the world's progression on science and technology not only for inside the US.  It's activities are very broad, from science and technology to education, politics, and all about human society. AAAS have been working passionately for students and scientists with disabilities to make them to participate into social activities.  When we open their magazine "Science", always we can find a advertisement about "ENTRY POINT!" at a prominent position. "ENTRY POINT!" is an internship program by AAAS for students with disabilities, and it have been provided since 1996.
In 1990, a law named ADA 1990 ( Americans with Disabilities Act 1990) was enacted, and it made the US accessible. In any case, the accesibility in the US has not so long history. So, I had been interested in the actions of AAAS for disabilities, because I myself am mentally and physically disabled on wheelchair. In February 2011,I participated in the AAAS annual meeting at Washington DC, and get the cooperation of AAAS and Virginia Stern, who had been directing the AAAS's actions for disabilities. Now, Stern retired AAAS and suporting elder people in her residence and making them easier to live in their hometown and community that they have been living for long time.

• "AAAS will change"

It is very important to attend academic conferences and meetings for young people who are desiring to build their professional career. But to disabled people, there were many barriers before attending. They might have no access to the place, no hotels to stay, or might be able to participate inefficiently because there's no access for information on Braille or sign language.
Since 1976, AAAS started an activity to make accesible hotels on every year's annual meeting. According to document of AAAS, William D. Caray, who was on responsible position in AAAS, decided "AAAS will change". The annual meetings have been held in different cities. Every year, It had been expected that cities with accessible hotels and that could hold conference of 5,000 people would be increased one by one, if AAAS could make a hotel accesible every year in the city the annual meeting would be held.
Stern told about that period:
"Development of laws about disabilities had been progressing little by little, but for hotels, there were nothing. So we had no doubt that we could change the society. Once a hotel was changed to be accesible and we held annual meeting with 5,000 participants there, the hotel would be able to expand their business."
At first, it was not easy to make hotels accesible. Stern faced to many difficulties. Sometimes it needs very tough negotiation. Once, She got there only 5 days before the annual meeting and had to charge of renovation with workmen that concerning with making some bedrooms, bathrooms, and  ballrooms in which the conference would be held accesible.
In some years later, Some hotels had emerged that motivated to renovate their hotel buildings accesible. They learned from actions by AAAS that if they did that they would be get great benefit.

• How they could change universities?

Change senior people and the top Change senior people and the top After that, Stern and her colleage started to work the universities accessible. Some universities had already started supporting for students with disabilities, for example, Vietnam War veteran disabled students. But it was so far from the situation that disabled students would study and research without difficulties. The problems were old and beautiful buildings in colleges and universities which are built in 19th or early 20th century. It was too difficult to renovate whole of such buildings with many stairs accessible. So, they recommended the universities to relocate laboratories on the first floor from above floors.
Relocation were very heavy load for laboratories, and autonomy of universities were very important, so universities were beyond control of laws for disabilities. But most of the universities accommodated the recommendation and relocated the laboratories to the first floor.
As a result, many disabled students became able to got higher education. The second task was to provide them opportunities to employment and career formation. So Stern started "ENTRY POINT!" program with colleage, and many students started a first step of their careers.
In the AAAS annual meeting, many meetings about various issues are held. When I attended the meetings about students and scientists with disabilities, they were discussing about how to make more disabled into science and technology field and motivate them to progress their career. Someone said that "It became easy to start carrier for disabled, but it is still difficult to make their career advanced. We must make the role model "stars" and show their success stories of disabled. Everyone likes success stories." I heard that and thought "Oh yeah, the US is the country of Hollywood movies." And I asked the situations of disabled in Japan. I told the fact in Japan with embarassment. In Japan, supporting for disabled university students is quite not enough. If they can graduate from universities, to find job is very difficult, very few of them can progress their career.

• And the laws were developed

　In the meantime, laws about disabilities had been developed little by little. In 1975, "The Education for All Handicapped Children Act" was enacted, which guaranteed opportunities to elementary and secondary education for all children including children with disabilities. According to Stern, "Child Find" program was conducted in that period. Parents of children with disabilities had been rising up the children inside their home, and they didn't think that the children could attend schools. So educational officials visited the homes and told them "The school is open for your children" or "You can attend the school".
The opportunities for children with disabilities to attend college or universities was expanded by the struggle of AAAS.
After that, highly educated people with disabilities wanted to get job and form career, the physical barrier like stairs was a social barrier for them. So, in 1990, the ADA 1990 specified to make accessible buildings, transportation, information and so on.
The US did not made accessible on compulsion of laws, but consistent effort of many pioneers changed the society accessible partially, and people who experienced the change made change of society and law.
Stern told me about how to change society which resist change:
"It is most important to make people experienced the change. Once they experienced the change, they change theirselve because they think they must change."

• Change seniors and the top

I asked Stern at the end of the interview that "What must we Japanese have to do at first to change the current situation about disabled in Japan?". It is a very long and difficult way to rise up a disabled child and about all of that are very heavy burden for the parents. For example, there is no official assistance for children with disabilities to commute to school, so it depends only on parents whether the child can be educated or not(in these several years, it is getting better for the parents. Some local goverment are independently providing the assistance). As a result, many children with disabilities are less educated, and hard to get job. The difficulties with rising up children with disabilities stress their parents, so the children are prone to abuse or neglect, and they will be shut away from work and social participation(Note for foreign people: Most of them, the disabled people without education become repeated offences, because they want to protected from society in jailhouses).
Stern said,
"It seems very structural problems, isn't it? To make change for such problem, it is very important to change seniors of tops who can make dicision to change, and change the political situation."
It is relatively easy to change ourselves, but to change others is very difficult. I think it is almost impossible to change seniors or tops. But if it is necessary to make change to situations around disabled, we should do it.
There is an actual example of AAAS.