Events to promote understanding of developmental disabilities held in Fukuoka City for World Autism Day

From Jiji

April 3 2025

FUKUOKA – On the 2nd, an event to deepen understanding of autism and developmental disorders was held in front of Hakata Station in Fukuoka City. 

The event, organized in line with World Autism Awareness Day and Developmental Disabilities Awareness Week, was sponsored by Fukuoka City, the Developmental Disabilities Support Center, and a parents’ association, among others. It featured displays explaining the characteristics of various disabilities and interactive experience booths. Later that evening, Fukuoka Tower and Hakata Port Tower in the city were illuminated in blue, the symbol color for developmental disabilities awareness.

At the booth for DCD (Developmental Coordination Disorder)—a condition where everyday actions like tying shoelaces and other physical movements can be challenging—practical products were introduced, including shoes that utilize “untied shoelaces” as a solution. There was also a booth where visitors could experience the difficulty of using their hands by flipping through a dictionary while wearing work gloves. A representative stated, “Sometimes, in trying too hard to overcome challenges, people develop feelings of inferiority or become uncomfortable in social situations. It’s important to build successful experiences at your own pace.”

Maesho Ooyake, the director of the Developmental Disabilities Support Center, expressed his hopes by saying, “I hope that we come to see that differences in how we perceive and interpret the world are not something negative, and that we can build a society in which everyone finds it easier to live.”