A group of international students from the College of Global Liberal Arts of Ritsumeikan University in Japan recently participated in an interdisciplinary exploration of disability studies in the context of Philippine history, culture and contemporary practices.

The short course Islands of Inclusion: A Philippine Immersion in Disability Studies was offered by the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde to provide young delegates an opportunity to collaborate with advocates, organizations and local communities.

The team was composed of Yu Iwamoto from Japan, Kao Nhu Ngoc Nguyen from Vietnam, Enkhtsag Ganzorig from Mongolia, Putra Kusumo Marcel from Indonesia, and Aimelia Andrei Velasquez from the Philippines. They were accompanied by Japanese faculty members Sakura Ito and Eri Yamashita.

The program examined how culture shapes perceptions of disability and inclusion as it incorporates academic content with experiential learning, culminating in applied projects and reflective synthesis. It likewise analyzed how accessibility works in education, workplace and tourism settings.

The week-long trip started with the overview session Living Disability in the Philippines: Lived Experiences and Everyday Realities, which fostered community building and intercultural exchange among the participants.

The participants were introduced to basic Filipino Sign Language and had a dialogue with persons with disabilities on challenges in education, employment and access to services.

The group observed the learning environment at the School of Deaf Education and Applied Studies and Benilde Deaf School. They then headed to the Philippine School for the Deaf.

Economic empowerment and support services for PWDs in the workforce were discussed. As part of their industry visit, the learners dropped by tech consultation company Accenture to acquaint themselves on inclusive hiring practices and office accessibility.

The DSWD’s Kapit-Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan-Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services was part of the team’s itinerary to expose the students to community-driven and social enterprise models of disability inclusion in action.

During the students’ city excursion in Intramuros, they learned about: the legacies of notable Filipino historical figures with disabilities, rode a kalesa, wandered around Fort Santiago with Deaf tour guides, tasted authentic Pinoy dishes, and witnessed traditional dances. They also visited to the National Museum, Rizal Park and other cultural landmarks.

The delegates capped off the visit in the Municipality of San Antonio, Zambales and its nearby beaches where they presented their learning outputs and embarked on a synthesis session, which bound together key insights from the course.