Lin Jun-jieh (林君潔) yesterday disproved the generally accepted misconception that sufferers of osteogenesis imperfecta need to be treated with kid gloves, earning them the moniker of "glass dolls," when she spoke of her experiences in Japan recently.
Lin, who suffers from osteogenesis imperfecta -- a genetic disorder characterized by bones that break easily -- joined 7 other sufferers from all over Asia, including Vietnam, Nepal and Indonesia, to participate in a "Leadership training program for the mentally and physically handicapped."
Practical
The program, established by the Anowa Foundation of Japan and the Good Neighbor Foundation of Taiwan, allows participants to go to the Independent Living Center in Japan in order to get practical experience in a variety of areas. This is done in the hope that, when they return to their home country, they will become leaders in their own right, helping to raise awareness about the disabled community.
Komai, a member of the Anowa Foundation, was proud to announce that there are now 47 former participants in the program that are taking active roles in their home communities.
Many firsts
For Lin -- the first osteogenesis imperfecta patient to get an undergraduate qualification and the first to travel abroad on such a venture -- there were many other firsts, such as traveling on a plane, driving a car and going skiing, which she thought was " very exciting."
Lin said that her experiences at the Independent Living Center showed her that "even as a disabled person, it is possible to live independently and experience the world in as many ways as normal people do." She talked about the small studio-apartment units at the center in which participants could reside and experience what it was like to be independent. She was even able to experience driving, with only small adjustments made to the steering wheel of an ordinary motorcar.
Lin said that while the government makes efforts in adapting the environment to suit the needs of the disabled, "it is also the responsibility of the public to make the environment suitable for everyone."
All types
Komai, a visitor from a foundation for the mentally and physically handicapped in Japan, said "Society consists of all types of people: black and white; abled and disabled; adults and children. The environment should be adapted so that we can all live in it comfortably."
Lin focused on the importance of raising awareness and described a program in Japan where mainstream Japanese students were provided with experiences of what it was like to be disabled, such as going down ramps in wheelchairs and being blindfolded to simulate the problems blind people encounter in everyday life.
Plans
Lin has great plans for helping the disabled in Taiwan. They include building a center similar in nature to the Independent Living Center in Japan.
She says that she will start her crusade by raising people's awareness of the need for an "obstacle free" environment and she plans to take part in writing a book entitled The A-Z of living free of obstacles in Taipei (
Controversy
The controversial case of Yen Hsu-nan (顏旭男) -- a Osteogen-esis Imperfecta sufferer who earlier this year died from injuries sustained when a student who was carrying him on his back accidentally slipped and fell down -- has established the idea that people with the condition are extremely fragile, liable to break at any time. This has been shown to be a fallacy.
However, Lin has shown that by taking proper precautions, having a strong spirit and with determination, the sky's the limit. Komai said, "Each person's potential is only as limited, or not, as their ability to deal with their problems."
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