Are there any disabled people working in your office? Many people have no idea what it is like to work with physically challenged people unless they are beside them in their offices. Though I have a hearing impairment, I joined Pioneer headquarters in Tokyo in winter 2001. Due to this condition that is labeled a communication disorder, I had been hesitant to work at a company for a long time. However, I agreed with Pioneer's group philosophy, "Move the Heart and Touch the Soul."and decided to join the company. The motto encouraged me, and I took my first steps as a working adult.

People who face many different challenges work at Pioneer. Such workers used to mainly be assigned to manufacturing, but work categories significantly broadened about five years ago and they are now assigned to a wide variety of departments. I am in charge of maintaining the company's website. I use the Internet and e-mail to do my work, but it is scary to imagine times when the telephone was the main business tool. There are many situations in which information technology and other technological innovations enable people to accomplish tasks that would have otherwise been impossible due to various disabilities.

While the physical realm including hardware and barrier-free environments support the active involvement of people with various challenges in society, it is also important to eliminate "soft aspects"such as barriers in people's minds. To break down walls between all people, I truly feel communication is the key. Too often the atmosphere appears delicate so it is extremely important for handicapped people to approach others by themselves. We should not simply expect others to adapt to us, yet we must clearly tell people what we can and cannot do. Each person should take an active role in creating better working conditions, and that is true not only for the physically challenged, but for everyone.