リレー・エッセイ

タイトル：
Chen’s minds on sendai * mediatheque
a space with respects and caring
投稿日：
2008年11月20日
＊インターンシップ期間中の研究・調査成果を、エッセイとしてご紹介しています。

　To people with disabilities, Japan would be a friendly environment as arriving in this country. When walking in the Japanese streets for the first time, I found that the slope of a curb cut is gradual with a nonslip surface, and there are no obstacles on the walkway or sidewalk. To my mind, the attentive public facility is a simple but essential to the safety of people who are visually impaired and persons using wheel chairs and other mobility aids, such as canes and walkers, and to the convenience of foreigners with their heavy baggage, just like me. And sendai mediatheque, as a public place with various activities, should be accessible to everyone in its community including people with disabilities. Therefore, one of the missions of smt is to invite the visually or hearing impaired to enjoy their time in such a “barrier-free” space.
　In order to create “barrier-free” environment, smt has two main strategies - hardware and software - in response to the needs of people with disabilities. Besides the services and facilities as we often seen in a public place, smt also set up the whole framework and administrative structure to carry out the ideal of “barrier-free”, just as its mission said clearly, such as the information counter for people sensory disabilities and the face-to face reading service for visually impaired person. To my mind, the whole “barrie-free” design of the smt comes from not only in response to a quest from the handicapped, but also respects for all the people, whether the visually impaired or the hearing impaired.
　Take “the visually impaired” for example, they are able to get to each floor (elevator), toilets and information counter by textured floor blocks smt provides. As they have interests in books, newspapers or magazines, the smt volunteers can help you to “read” materials by other people’s voices. That is so-called “face-to-face reading.” To my mind, the services and facilities also express the civilization of one country through the “barrier-free” design and a caring society. And that originates from the respects for all the people, not from the sympathy in my mind.
　By the way, I found an interesting facility about the smt office and its users. In the office’s space, the smt designer utilized a semi-translucent curtain to divide the “public space” from the office area. And the design concept is to create a safe and close atmosphere for the users. As people in need or in trouble, the smt staff can give them a helping hand as soon as possible. After all, the smt is not only a public facility but also a service industry in modern people’s view.
　However, in Taiwan, we just have barrier-free zones only, not for the whole environment. That is, the Taiwanese people have a long-long way to go for creating a whole “barrier-free” environment. And smt is a shine example to the public facilities of Taiwan in my own opinion.

Jouyuan CHEN (smtインターンシップ生)