This story is part of a package on "Disability in Japan". The introduction is here.
When child psychiatrist Seiji Sakai meets with his clients, he listens to their life stories with the intensity of a sage in meditation -- silently absorbing words like a leaf absorbs dew.
Then, feeling the need to consult his case notes, he reaches for what looks like an outsize cellular phone -- actually, a digitally powered magnifying glass -- and squints through it to read. Finding the information he needs, he types a memo on a laptop that recites the words aloud in a robotic voice.