Photo/Illutration Satsumi Ide, mother of Ayuka, who was killed in a traffic accident in 2018, holds her daughter’s portrait during a news conference in Osaka on Feb. 27 after the Osaka District Court ruling. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

I once found myself the only hearing person among many deaf people communicating in sign language. They vigorously moved their hands and arms like sparks of fire from sparklers.

They were probably sharing updates on their lives, but I, a total stranger to sign language, could do nothing but stand there feeling helpless. The world turned upside down, and I was a sort of a “disabled” person in that situation.

What does “disability” mean exactly, anyway? This question came to my mind when I read about the recent court ruling on compensation for the death of Ayuka Ide.

She was an 11-year-old girl who was born with hearing difficulties and used sign language. She was killed in a traffic accident involving a heavy machine five years ago.

The focus of the trial was on how to estimate “lost earnings,” or the amount of money the girl was expected to have earned during her lifetime.

Her parents sought the same amount of compensation as would have been granted for the death of a person without disabilities, but the Osaka District Court estimated the girl’s lost earnings to be 85 percent of the average income of all workers.

As they heard the ruling, the parents shed tears, probably for two reasons. They must have felt deeply sad about having to put a value on their child’s life. And they must have felt frustrated at the reduced estimate.

The ruling cited the girl’s disability as a factor that would have made it hard for her to work. If a disabled person finds it hard to work, the blame should be placed on society.

People with disabilities face many difficulties in their lives because society is designed for the majority. If the environment and rules change, the concept of disability also dramatically changes.

This is not a fantasy. I recently visited a Starbucks coffee shop in Kunitachi, western Tokyo. Of the 29 workers at the store, 15 are hearing-impaired. Customers order by pointing at items or communicating in writing instead of speaking.

More than two years since it opened, such interactions between workers and customers are a part of daily life at the shop. Nobody at the place seemed to care whether workers were hearing-impaired or not.

The court ruling stated, “There is no denying that hearing impairment could restrict the person’s working abilities.”

We need to move toward a future where this statement is completely outdated. We know how it can be done.

--The Asahi Shimbun, March 5

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Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.

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