Hello, this is Miki Uchiki from Hana Hiraku.

Last year, I was interviewed by Fairy Co., Ltd., which runs the Sho⇔Sho Inheritance Program, and the video has now been released on the program’s official website.

I humbly talk about

• The reason I want to increase the number of companies that are more inclusive and supportive of people with disabilities.
• The activities currently being carried out by Hana Hiraku.My feelings when I suspected that my son might have a disability.
• My feelings when I suspected that my son might have a disability.

By the way, the man on the right is Mr. Funahiki, an ordinary university student who attends Kinki University. He had never interacted with people with disabilities before and, like many other students, felt a sense of distance from them.

Through the Sho⇔Sho Inheritance Program, there is an effort to create more opportunities for students to interact with people with disabilities, by organizing activities like playing with children with disabilities and providing opportunities to hear stories from their parents.

On this day, Mr. Funahiki spent the entire day with my son, Takeru. They played together and had meals together. He also listened to my interview.

However, spending just one day together didn’t allow him to fully understand the joys of life with a child with a disability. I told him, ‘I can now proudly say that raising a child with a disability is not so bad,’ but he replied, ‘If I’m being honest, I can’t fully believe those words yet…’

I think that’s true. Before my son was born, I would have felt the same way. I would have thought, ‘That’s just a nice excuse.’

But it’s true.

Because my son has a disability, I have been able to open a new door. I have been able to learn about a new world. And although I once held prejudice toward people with disabilities, over time, that feeling has transformed into respect, and I’ve become, just a little, a kinder person in society.

If there are opportunities to ‘get to know’ people with disabilities and their conditions, it will eventually lead to ‘understanding.’ Through the Sho⇔Sho Inheritance Program, these types of initiatives are being carried out to help people learn about and understand the real lives of people with disabilities.

• A video showing people with disabilities at work.
• Q&A with people with disabilities at work.
• Opportunities for university students to interact with children with disabilities.

Especially in the video showcasing people with disabilities at work, you will see not just tasks like ‘collecting trash’ or ‘watering plants,’ but rather individuals working as valuable members of the company. (As of today, the video has not been released yet, but it will be available soon!) This initiative provides hope to parents raising children with disabilities, so please visit the Sho⇔Sho Inheritance Program’s website.