English edition on JSL as language as defined by court

The Mainichi Daily News reports in English related to my recent blog titled: District court recognizes impossibility to sign due to accident as "speech disorder" as follows:

http://mdn.mainichi.jp/mdnnews/news/20091126p2a00m0na004000c.html


Related link:
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=6055363545145297264&postID=4595021944884387914

English edition on drama based on "The Hostess Talks in Writing"

Making the drama based on the true story of "The Hostess Talking through Writing" was reported in English:

http://www.dramaplot.com/japanese-news/keiko-kitagawa-to-play-deaf-role-in-hitsudan-hostess-drama.html


Related link:
http://deafjapan.blogspot.com/2009/11/making-drama-based-on-true-story.html

District court recognizes impossibility to sign due to accident as "speech disorder"

Kimie Oya attends the press conference after the lawsuit settlement. By the traffic accident, the left wrist is impossible to move smoothly and the little finger of the left hand, also, impossible to be bend easily, which has caused her stress when signing. (photo: www.tokyo-np.co.jp)


Kimie Oya, a sixties Deaf woman, a resident in Nagoya City, Aichi Prefecture, a central part of Japan, sued against the hearing man, claiming that she had been unable to sign as fluently as before due to the traffic accident since five years ago. She asked for about 26.2 million yen for the compensation.

On November 25, the Nagoya district court judge ordered the man to pay about 12.2 million yen for the linguistic damage, stating as "sign language was a means of communication", and treating as the residual disability to the language activity corresponded.

According to Hiroyuki Tahara, the lawyer representing Oya, "the decision that admits the residual disability of the signing function of the Deaf person as equal as the able-bodied person's speech disorder would be first in the country".

In the future it may influence the weight of the sequel that other person with disability owed due to the accident to be judged. The disability community welcome the new move.


Source in Japanese:
http://mainichi.jp/select/jiken/news/20091126k0000m040107000c.html

Play workshops by Britain Deaf director to take place in Saitama in December

Jenny Sealey, a Deaf performance expert, is visiting Japan.

There will be two workshops led by her, one for the general and another for the professionals, in December. Both the workshops require the full two-day participation.

Sealey serves as the artistic director of the Graeae Theatre Company in London, and is acknowledged for the performances featured the diversity of persons with disabilities.

JSL/BSL interpreting provided.

- Play workshop
Dates: December 5 and 6, 11:00-17:00
Venue: Saitama Art Theater Hall
Limit number of the participants: 16
Sponsored: Saitama Prefecture Disability Art Festival Organizing Committee

- Workshop for stage directors
Dates:
December 2, 13:30-17:00
December 3, 10:00-18:00
Venue: British Council, Iidabashi in Tokyo
Limited numbers of participants: 15
Sponsored: Able Art Japan, Meiji Yasuda Life Insurance Co.
Co-sponsored: British Council


Source in Japanese:
DEAF-NEWS (subscription)

Deaf Judo expert teaches hearing children in Okinawa Prefecture

Judo expert Kiyoko Okamoto (right)
teaches hearing children
(photo: ryukyushimpo.jp)

Kiyoko Okamoto (32), a Deaf woman from Tokyo, was in the second place in Judo at the world championships which took place in Taiwan last year prior to the Deaflympics.

She visited the martial arts house in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Prefecture, a southern part of Japan, on November 17 and taught the technique of the judo sports to hearing children.

All the children made eyes sparkle to the art of throwing with Okamoto's cutting, and gazed.

Okamoto met Tomoo Hori, who currently resides in the city, when she was 25 years old. Hori was an instructor with the judo club in the Tokyo area, making her start judo.

She had felt uneasy, unable to step forward despite of her eagerness to have a judo match.

As Hori knew sign language, she jumped into the world of the judo because both were able to communicate in sign language.

She practiced hard while working at the company every day. She did not come out the bud easily in the first three years, but she picked up stream remarkably when setting targets in "Deaflympic Games" held once in four years. Finally she won the second place in the world championships last year.

The fourth graders in the elementary school, who participated in the judo workshop, exclaimed, "I learned how to move my feet when throwing over my shoulder. I want to become a strong person like Okamoto", "Her quick movement is terrible. I learned how to throw over my shoulder. I will win everything at the upcoming game".

Okamoto said with a smile, "I have only learned, and am not good enough at teaching. I was very happy to practice judo with them today".



Source in Japanese:
http://ryukyushimpo.jp/news/storyid-153190-storytopic-2.html