Human Care Association

Staffs:

President: Shoji Nakanishi
Secretary General: Emiko Nakahara
Paid Staffs: 27 (11 staffs with disabilities – orthopedic, visual, hearing, psychiatric)

Services:

- Consultation
- Peer-counseling
- Independent Living Program
- Independent Living Experience Room
- Personal Assistance Service
- Lift-van Transportation Service
- Advocacy

Current commissioned projects:

- Consultation support (Itaku soudan shien jigyo formerly known as Shichouson syougaisha seikatsu shien jigyo)
- Support of independent living of persons with disability (Toukyouto sankagata jigyo)
- Provision of home help service (Kyotaku kaigo shitei jigyousho)
- Service provision under long-term care insurance (Kiaogo hoken shitei jigyousho)

History:

In 1986, members of Wakakoma, a self-help group of PWDs in Hachioji, and ex-trainees of Daskin training program established Human Care Association as the first full-scale independent living center in Japan. Human Care launched personal assistance service to support PWDs’ living in community while developing peer-counseling and independent living program. It also committed advocacy for realization of need-oriented social life.
Since 1991, as a founding member of Japan Council on Independent Living Centers, Human Care has contributed to dissemination of peer-counseling and independent living program and establishment of personal assistance service system. As independent living center of cross-disability, it has various type of PWD staffs, such as, orthopedics, visual impairment, hearing impairment, psychiatric and so on. In 2003, it launched support services for both persons with intellectual and psychiatric disabilities. It also started to provide peer-counseling and guide-support services for persons with visual or hearing impairment.

Remarkable activities:

- Policy recommendations to city, provincial, and national governments while regularly setting negotiation table for policy making
- Receiving trainees and dispatching resource persons for establishment and support of independent living centers at both national and international levels
- Preparation of peer-counseling and consultation service for specific disabilities such as psychiatric, visual or hearing impairment to support their life and social participation while providing cross-disability services and programs. e.g. independent living program, support group and youth exchange meeting for persons with psychiatric disability.
- Support of need-based self-help activities of persons with intellectual disability, such as, chat meeting, study group, people-first Hachioji, and use of IL experience room
- Capacity building of youth disability leaders

Achievements:

- Establishment of subsidy frame in Tokyoto Chiiki Shinko Zaidan for IL skill program and personal assistance service
- Contribution to nationalization of the program for support of PWDs’ living (Shichoson sougaisha seikatsu shien jigyo)
- Prevention of worse rigidification of care management system for PWDs
- Participation of a few persons with intellectual disability into the Tokyo government review committee of care management
- Improvement of accessibility of public transportation, city building and public housing
- Publication of city guide map for PWDs
- Participation into city planning of Hachioji based upon barrier free law, and submission of proposal to improve accessibility around two train stations in the city.
- Establishment of the preparation committee on Hachioji lift-van transportation council based upon article 80 of road and transportation act
- Participation into PWD section of the city committee on Hachioji welfare planning for submission of 5 year plan
- Management of a chat-meeting space for persons with intellectual disability
- Management of IL experience room for persons with intellectual disability
- Establishment of the peer support center for persons with psychiatric disability
- Support of independent living movement in Asia

Future Activities:

- To prevent decrease of service amount of outing or long-hour assistance through negotiation with city and metropolitan governments after enactment of act to support PWDs’ independence (Jiritsu shien ho)
- To acquire subsidies to services for persons with intellectual or psychiatric disabilities that have been operated by self-fund so far
- To strengthen APNIL (Asia-Pacific Network for Independent Living Centers), which was established in 2007 to enhance support for PWDs in Asia-Pacific region, under collaboration of its members