Japanese Disability Advocates Hope to Break Service Dog Stigma Through the Paralympics

Yoshitomo Kimura, a 61-year-old from Osaka, is one of the PWDs that have been saved by their service dog when no one else could. Years ago on one winter day, Kimura fell off his wheelchair as he was trying to get into his car. Nobody heard his cries for help except for Cynthia, his Labrador Retriever service dog.

Cynthia was able to fetch Kimura’s cellphone for which he used to call his neighbors for help. "No one was coming, so I thought that I was going to freeze outside. She really saved my life and I am eternally grateful for that."

However, the problem with most Japanese PWDs is that it’s not easy to acquire a service dog. This is due to “barriers” and social stigmas that hinder the acceptance and use of service dogs in public settings. A lot of Japanese still think that service dogs are just well-trained dogs and not a necessity for PWDs to participate in society.

"I hope people's perceptions of disabled people change [from] watching the Paralympics, from people that can't do anything by themselves that need help, to these people that are doing extraordinary things in all sorts of creative ways," said Tomoko Hashizume, head of the nonprofit Japan Service Dog Resource Center.

Source: STARS AND STRIPES

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