The Noto Peninsula earthquake has left people with disabilities in a difficult situation, and AAR Japan (Association for Aid and Relief, Japan) has always prioritized support for them in times of disaster. Recently, the Japan Disability Forum (JDF) held a “Meeting for persons with visual impairment to talk about the Noto Peninsula earthquake” in Nanao City, Ishikawa Prefecture, and AAR Keiichiro Tamaru, who is a person with visual impairment, participated.

The challenges at the shelter

AAR has been involved in relief activities since immediately after the earthquake, such as providing food and supplies, but I (Tamaru) was unable to participate in such activities due to my visual impairment, and I kept wondering if there was anything I could do.

I attended JDF’s three-day “Talk meeting” held from June 21 and had the opportunity to visit Noto after the earthquake for the first time and exchanged opinions with local massage therapists (six in total, including four people with visual impairment) who are working at the local Wakura hot spring resort.

Participants shared their experiences of the earthquake, including their earnest stories such as “I entered an evacuation center, but I had trouble asking people around me to go to the bathroom,” and “I was relieved when I managed to get in touch with someone I knew who came to support me.” It is easy to imagine that even if persons with visual impairment were able to enter crowded evacuation centers, they would often be at a loss as they could not see what was going on around them.

A couple with visual impairment with a daughter with Down’s syndrome told us, “We had to enter the fourth floor of an elementary school building because arrived late at the evacuation center, but it was a big burden for us because of our disabilities.” In order to alleviate such anxiety and inconvenience, I strongly felt the importance of establishing welfare shelters for people with disabilities and the elderly in each community.

One of the participants also commented that “It is important to provide training so that people can use smartphones” and we realized that it is also necessary to create a system that allows people to immediately request assistance through an application when they need it.

Sharp decline of massage work

Several months have passed since the disaster, and the participants’ concerns are shifting to rebuilding their lives. Everyone agreed that they wanted to work as soon as possible.

Massage therapists with visual impairment are working in Wakura hot spring resort, but since the earthquake, most of the inns and hotels have been closed, leaving the tourist traffic at a standstill. They are currently working in a rented room in a public bathhouse in the hot spring resort area, but they say that there are days when no customers come at all.

Regardless of whether they have a disability or not, the emergency period has passed and it is time for people in the affected areas to start rebuilding their lives, but the situation for people with disabilities is severe and their future seems to be increasingly uncertain.

On the other hand, I thought that it is precisely needed to have a pastime and fun things to do. It is difficult for us to go to the big bathhouse or shopping mall by ourselves, so just a little change in our daily routine, such as bathing, shopping, cooking, or yoga classes, can be a refreshing change of pace.

The participants of this time were massage therapists working in the hot spring resort area and they know each other well. The “Talk meeting” in a comfortable atmosphere provided them a good opportunity to look back on the past, share issues common to everyone, and frankly discuss their individual thoughts.

As a person with visual impairment myself, I was able to have a meaningful exchange of views on the challenges faced by people with disabilities in the affected areas. AAR will consider new livelihood support based on the realities and opinions brought to light once again this time.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation with AAR’s support for people with disabilities in the areas affected by the Noto Peninsula earthquake.