Tokyo trip for disabled awareness

Hello, my name is CJ Shearn and I'm a freelance writer for the New York Jazz School of Music blog. Besides being a lifelong jazz music afficionado, one of my passions has been to visit Tokyo, Japan because I would love to pursue my jazz passion there, a country that has an enthusiasm for the music unlike any other. While the situation for disabled people is improving in Japan for self sufficiency, to live independently and be contributing members to society, there is still a long way to go. Typically, the average Japanese able bodied person does not encounter someone disabled in their daily life, and while there are disabled activist rights groups there, it is still a minority. As a foreigner who wishes to live and work in Japan, the task will be monumental in doing a social comparison to see how disabled people live there, what services and supports exist for them compared to the U.S. 

I am also a person with a physical disability. I was born 32 years ago on June 20, 1981, three months premature. I weighed two pounds, two ounces. The day after my birth, I had a grade four brain hemorrhage, the worst type you can have. It's lucky I survived. Despite only having the use of my left hand, and needing to use a power wheelchair for ambulation, each day is a struggle for me but I have to see what's possible in the world. Throughout my life, I've beaten the odds: I was not expected to graduate college, or find a normal job, I have done those things.  In 2005 I got a bachelors in Sociology from Binghamton University. My practice as a Buddhist has helped me achieve those goals to have a strong inner resolve to handle what life throws at me, and I am blessed to have a group of dear friends in Japan who are willing to help me take this journey, see my experience, with amazing support.

On this initial visit, I intend to not only take in the sights and sounds of Japan, but also learn much more about the history, culture and see what barriers to accessibility there are and how they might be changed, so that others like me, can have their dream too. I would like to blog my daily experiences as well, and perhaps even film them. The cost of this campaign request will ensure airfare