Living with a Disability in Japan Huda Samakaab (Chiba)
Growing Up With a Disability What sort of person do you picture when you hear the word “disability?” What sort of lifestyle is this person living? Even in the face of our preconceived notions, living with a disability covers a wide range of conditions and experiences. Despite this fact, it can be difficult to find perspectives from people with disabilities in regards to major life events, even in the case of the well-chronicled excitement and anxiety of moving abroad. I ran into this issue prior to relocating to Japan, agonizing over whether I would be able to perform well as a JET and not finding much information 68
slowly, often lose my balance, and usually use leg braces.
from participants with physical disabilities that were similar to my own. I have had spastic diplegic cerebral palsy since birth, which means the muscles in my legs are tighter than average and prone to spasms. Though many with cerebral palsy are permanently wheelchair-bound or unable to communicate without assistive devices, I am able to walk and live independently. However, I walk
Growing up with a physical disability in the United States was a succession of admittedly daunting events that I perceived as normal: a wheelchair followed by crutches, crutches followed by walkers, specialized 504 plans for educational accommodations, a few surgeries, and re-learning how to walk a couple times. From a young age, I was encouraged to seek out resources for assistance and establish routines that worked for me. When I finally moved to Japan, I realized that I would have to start from scratch to find new routines and figure out how to best advocate for myself.
