Japanese physiotherapist notices "natural" inclusion of people in Sydney

Tomo Ishimaru, a Japanese physiotherapist and a coach for a Japanese wheelchair racer, has found that "natural" social inclusion is deeply rooted within the Australian people.

Tomo Ishimaru (left) is a Japanese physiotherapist and a coach for Yuhei Yasuno (right), a Japanese wheelchair racer aiming for Tokyo Paralympics Source: SBS

The Japanese community invited Japanese wheelchair racers to show their support for the athletes. January 2020. Source: SBS

Tomo is a coach for a Japanese wheelchair athlete Yuhei Yasuno who was born with disability.  Tomo and Yuhei travelled from Tottori, Japan to Sydney and Canberra to compete in official races last month.  Yuhei is aiming for the Paralympic Games in Tokyo this year and trying to qualify for it.

This was the first time for them to visit Australia.  Tomo saw both cities with the eyes of a healthcare professional who is working on the enhancement of social inclusion in Japan.  Tomo said that he was pleasantly surprised by the natural and strong sense of social inclusion within the Australian people.

During their stay, the Japanese community in Sydney invited the two of them and other wheelchair athletes to a special event organised to show their support to the athletes competing in the iconic OZDay10K road race.

In the audio, Tomo shares his experience in Australia and talks about the differences between Japan and Australia in terms of social inclusion.

The Japanese community's cheerleading team, Sakura Kids, welcome the athletes to the event. Source: SBS

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