With the postponed 2020 Tokyo Paralympics coming to an end this weekend, it’s time to examine the legacy of the Games insofar as what they mean for a diverse community of people with disabilities.
It’s clear the Games have helped facilitate changes in Japan’s physical environment as well as shifts in consciousness that have empowered some — though not all — disabled individuals who live and work in the country.
By providing activists, policymakers and members of the general public with an opportunity to reflect on the origins of barriers to accessibility in the nation’s past, as well as efforts currently being undertaken to resolve such issues, the Games have helped position Japan to lead global conversations about access in the future.