Disability, COVID-19 and Accessibility in Japan and Australia

Beschreibung

This book reflects on the lived experience of disability during the COVID-19 lockdown in Tokyo and Melbourne. Drawing on the autoethnographic analysis of two personal accounts, it discusses the short and long-term impact of the pandemic on the social isolation and medical vulnerability faced by individuals with disabilities, as well as issues related to the labor market, education, and healthcare systems within a global crisis setting. A timely reflection on accessibility and inclusivity in society, this short monograph explores the benefits and setbacks of the pandemic, from video conferencing and teleworking to the crisis of the care industry and subsequent disruptions to services to vulnerable people.

The authors stitch together the disabled and non-disabled experience of the pandemic using the notion of empathy (i.e. understanding and internalization of the disabled experienced by non-disabled populations) to discuss how a more inclusive society is achievable through this shared pandemic experience. Through a cross-cultural comparison of two countries globally seen as success stories during the pandemic, this book analyses 2020-2021 data to unveil the sociocultural and political factors that guided decision makers and to explore how different approaches created different outcomes. An invaluable read for academics and practitioners working in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion areas with an interest in Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Disability Studies, and Global Health.

Carolyn Stevens is Emeritus Professor of Japanese Studies at Monash University, Australia. Her research focuses on social problems and disability in Japan, as well as sound studies and popular music. Her most recent monograph is the co-authored Sounding Out Japan: A Sensory Ethnographic Tour (Routledge, 2021) and she is the co-editor of the forthcoming Springer Handbook of the Body, Culture and Society in Modern Japan.

Mark Ross Bookman (1991–2022) was an academic and disability activist with expertise in history, Japan Studies, and Disability Studies. His work has been published in Japanese Studies, The Journal of Japanese Studies and Disability Studies Quarterly. His monograph, Disability Publics:  Making Accessibility in Modern Japan, was published by Oxford University Press in 2025. He served on the Association for Asian Studies’ Diversity and Equity Committee, and the board of directors of the Disability History Association and the Society for Disability Studies.

This book reflects on the lived experience of disability during the COVID-19 lockdown in Tokyo and Melbourne. Drawing on the autoethnographic analysis of two personal accounts, it discusses the short and long-term impact of the pandemic on the social isolation and medical vulnerability faced by individuals with disabilities, as well as issues related to the labor market, education, and healthcare systems within a global crisis setting. A timely reflection on accessibility and inclusivity in society, this short monograph explores the benefits and setbacks of the pandemic, from video conferencing and teleworking to the crisis of the care industry and subsequent disruptions to services to vulnerable people.

The authors stitch together the disabled and non-disabled experience of the pandemic using the notion of empathy (i.e. understanding and internalization of the disabled experienced by non-disabled populations) to discuss how a more inclusive society is achievable through this shared pandemic experience. Through a cross-cultural comparison of two countries globally seen as success stories during the pandemic, this book analyses 2020-2021 data to unveil the sociocultural and political factors that guided decision makers and to explore how different approaches created different outcomes. An invaluable read for academics and practitioners working in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion areas with an interest in Asian Studies, Japanese Studies, Disability Studies, and Global Health.

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Carolyn Stevens

Themen in »Disability, COVID-19 and Accessibility in Japan and Australia«

Disability Studies COVID-19 Pandemic Accessibility Lived Experience of Disability Autoethnography Public Health Care Industry Disability Policy in Japan and Australia SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

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