2025/02/25
We are promoting the creation of a workplace where everyone can work comfortably, regardless of whether they have a disability or not. As part of this, we have been giving lectures on our employment of people with disabilities to parents and teachers of children with disabilities, and have held four lectures this year. In September 2012, we held a career guidance seminar at Aichi Prefectural Obu Mochinoki Special Needs School, where we gave a lecture on the theme of "Your Child's Future," and 49 parents of elementary school students participated. The purpose of this initiative is not only to let people know about ADVICS, but also to deliver "real voices from the workplace" from the perspective of a company that actively employs people with disabilities, and to think together about what we can do now to help our children find employment.
What is Obu Mochinoki Special Needs School?
A prefectural special support school for the intellectually disabled that opened in Obu City in 2018. It has an elementary school, middle school, and high school division, with 286 students* enrolled. The middle school and high school divisions offer practical work-based learning and work training at companies and welfare service providers. Graduates are making full use of what they learned at the school, and are also active on our manufacturing lines.
*As of April 2024
Who was the lecturer?
The lecturer was Tomoko Gomi, who is in charge of the employment of people with disabilities in Human Resources & General Affairs Dept.. Before joining ADVICS, she worked as a staff member at a child welfare facility, an after-school care instructor, a staff member at a rehabilitation facility for children with disabilities, a life care worker, and a counselor at the Employment and Life Support Center for People with Disabilities, and supported many parents and children. During her time as a counselor at the Employment and Life Support Center for People with Disabilities, she supported people with disabilities working at ADVICS Handa Plant from outside the company.
Contents of the lecture
■Who owns the disability?
There is a concept called the "social model of disability," which holds that the various limitations people with disabilities face in their daily lives are caused by barriers created by the nature of society and the environment, and that removing these is the responsibility of society and an issue for society as a whole.
■What does ADVICS think about "employment of people with disabilities"?
The Act on Promotion of Employment of Persons with Disabilities states that workers are given "opportunities to demonstrate their abilities," and that those who are given these opportunities are expected to "strive for self-awareness, ability development and improvement, and independence" as members of the workforce. At ADVICS, both the company and employees with disabilities play their respective roles, and we aim to cooperate with each other to maximize and sustain the abilities of employees.
■What kind of work are you doing at ADVICS?
We have 110 employees with disabilities working at our company. They are assigned to tasks suited to their needs at various workplaces, including the head office, Kariya Plant, and Handa Plant. Some workplaces have night shifts, but the employees, their superiors, Plant Administration & Control Sect., and Human Resources & General Affairs Dept. work together to provide support so that they can work according to their individual circumstances.
*End of December 2024
■What will you do now?
Try to think of ways to do things that you can do but take a long time in as little time as possible. Next, try practicing things that you can do but are not doing well so that you can do them better than you are now. Changing "I can do it, but..." to "I can do it this way! I can do it like this!" will help the child to gain confidence and peace of mind. Even if they have few abilities and few places where they can use them, there is always a place where they can fit in. Having many experiences will broaden children's options for the future.
■ If you feel anxious
In fact, I was always a bother to my teachers when I was a student. I want you to remember that the lecturers standing before you now were also once "difficult children." The future is limitless for children.
Conclusion
A teacher who attended the lecture expressed his gratitude, saying, "Many of the participants were touched by his warm words based on his experience. I was one of them, and it made me think again about what I want to convey to my students, and it made me more motivated." In addition to this, our company is also carrying out various diversity promotion measures, such as diversity training for supervisors, work style roundtable discussions, AISIN Group women's networking events, holding in-house children's product adoption events, and supporting the launch of sign language clubs. ADVICS will continue to work to create an environment where everyone can maximize their abilities and continue to play an active role, regardless of gender, age, nationality, or whether they have a disability.