”特別”ではないこと、「分かってほしい」障害のある子供たちが職場体験　受け入れた店側にも気づき　ある放課後等デイサービスの取り組み

An initiative called "work experience" is underway at after-school day care centers for children with disabilities, aiming to introduce them to the joy of working. While the children gain a great deal from the experience, the participating businesses also gain valuable insights. This is the first step towards a society where everyone can find fulfillment in their work. After-school day care centers for children with disabilities All Peace, an after-school day care center with six locations in Fukuoka and Saga prefectures, Each center serves approximately 40 children with disabilities who gather after school and during long holidays to participate in various activities. Activities outside the facility, such as recreation and nature experiences, are also highly valued. One of these activities, held once a month, is a "work experience" program where children visit various local businesses. All Peace, Representative Fumio Hatanaka "We want children to be able to pursue their dreams and do what they want to do when they become adults in the future. We implement this program to help them develop a concrete image of what they want to do." Work Experience at a Bakery: "Hello," "Thank you for today." On this day, "Rento," a first-year junior high school student, and "Yamato," a third-year junior high school student, visited a bakery in Fukutsu City. Their tasks included bagging bread and recommending freshly baked bread to customers. "It would be sad if it was all jumbled up, so let's make it neat," "This is rice flour bread." Customer: "Can I eat it?" Customer: "It's warm!" "It's delicious!" At first, they seemed a little awkward, but as they talked, they gradually relaxed. Customer: "Thank you for the meal." "We did it!" "Thank you." What were their impressions after the experience? Reporter: "Did you want to do it again?" Yamato: "Yes, I did. It was cool. Packing was difficult." Rent: "I said hello. Helping out was fun. It was fun." At first, he thought they were "immature," but...the manager's discovery The manager also seemed surprised by how quickly the children learned. Fukutree Manager, Shogo Nakamura "I thought they were still a little immature, but once we started working and talking, they kept coming up to me saying, 'Please teach me,' and 'Let me try,' so I got the impression that they are mature at heart and eager to learn various things. I discovered that there are things I can do myself, and things I can do for the children." Work experience at a ramen shop On this day, another member experienced working at a ramen shop. "Hold it so it doesn't get hot." "If you hold it like this, it will get hot." "Here you go, one bowl of ramen!" Carefully carrying the piping hot bowls to the customers' tables, step by step, so as not to spill them. Ramen Kazuma, Representative Masafumi Noguchi "They picked it up right away after just a little instruction. I had a really great experience myself, and I felt energized by them. I wanted to convey that you can do anything if you try. I hope they'll use what they learned here in various ways." Before the work experience, we always do "introducing friends." Why? Before going to the work experience, we also set aside time to learn greetings and manners. "Posture! We're starting a life skills activity now. Bow!" "Thank you." The theme for the day was "introducing friends." All Peace, Representative Fumio Hatanaka "When you talk about someone well, they understand you well, and they get the impression that the teacher is a good person." "Let me introduce Ryusei-kun. Ryusei-kun is kind. He's good at bowling. His best point is that he's a genius! Please take good care of Ryusei-kun!" Thoughts of the Watching Parents The watching parents also feel their children's growth. Parent: "Parents tend to be overly protective, wanting to do things their child wants, but the teachers encourage them to try things beyond what they're capable of." Parent: "I was really worried about whether my child could do it, but through the work experience program, they learned a lot, developed a sense of responsibility, and became happy when they could accomplish something, saying, 'I did this today!' They started talking to me a lot more." Representative Hatanaka hopes that not only will children experience the appeal of work, but employers will also recognize the various possibilities these children possess. All Peace, Representative Hatanaka: "Because special needs schools and special needs classes have the word 'special' in their names, people tend to think they're difficult to get involved with, or that only professionals can work with them. But once you get involved, you can have fun talking and playing with them, and that's the most important thing I want people to understand." Raising the Statutory Employment Rate for People with Disabilities Starting this July, the statutory employment rate for people with disabilities, which is mandatory for private compa...