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- Educational Activities Concerning Employment of Persons with Disabilities
JEED
Japan Organization for Employment of the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities
Educational Activities Concerning Employment of Persons with Disabilities
Information and Educational Activities
Various public Information and educational activities are developed for raising awareness of the general public about the employment of persons with disabilities.
Awareness-raising Events
Every year, September is designated as "Disability Employment Support Month." During this period, JEED, in cooperation with the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, prefectural governments and Prefectural Associations for Employment Support, conducts educational activities with a view to fostering employment opportunities for persons with disabilities and supporting their vocational independence among not only employers, but also the general public.
National Abilympics (Vocational Skills Contests for Persons with Disabilities)
▲Abilympics
In order to provide opportunities for persons with disabilities to build confidence and develop pride in their participation in society, as well as to raise awareness about the vocational capability of persons with disabilities, promote their employment and improve their position in society, JEED holds theNational Abilympics every year except the years in which the International Abilympics are held.
The National Abilympics for 2009 will be held in Ibaraki Prefecture in October.
International Abilympics
The 1st International Abilympics (IA) was held in Tokyo in October 1981 in commemoration of the United Nations International Year of Disabled Persons. Since then, the IA has been held every 4 years.
The 7th IA was held in November 2007 in Shizuoka Prefecture in conjunction with the 39th WorldSkills Competition under the name of the International Skills Festival for All, Japan 2007.
A total of 910 people from 34 countries/regions participated in the 7th IA. Skills contests were held for 30 different categories including 26 vocational skills such as electronic circuit connection techniques and precision sheet metal work, and 4 leisure and living skills such as painting and pottery. The event, which also featured activities such as demonstrations, exhibitions, and international symposiums, attracted over 65,000 visitors while it was in session.
With 80 contestants participating, Japan received the highest number of medals of all the countries/regions that participated in skills contests:12 Gold Medals, 17 Silver Medals, 15 Bronze Medals, and 8 Special Prizes.
| 1st | 1981 | Tokyo, Japan |
| 2nd | 1985 | Bogota, Colombia |
| 3rd | 1991 | Hong Kong |
| 4th | 1995 | Perth, Australia |
| 5th | 2000 | Prague, Czech Republic |
| 6th | 2003 | New Delhi, India |
| 7th | 2007 | Shizuoka, Japan |
| 8th | 2011 | Seoul, Korea (tentative) |
▲The 7th International Abilympics - Japan
International Exchange Programs
Overseas Dispatch of Vocational Rehabilitation Specialists
As part of the government's overseas technical cooperation program, JEED dispatches specialists and accepts trainees for the purpose of developing and establishing vocational rehabilitation systems in developing countries.