Install "Everyone's Event" into your future events!

Parts of the Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities were amended in 2021, establishing that the provision of reasonable accommodations by private businesses—previously considered a "duty to endeavor"—is now a "legal obligation" (※).

※The amended law will take effect on a date specified by cabinet order within three years from the date of promulgation (June 4, 2021). Details here.

Society is now moving significantly toward the goal of "leaving no one behind."

In 2022, Dentsu Inc. and Dentsu Live Inc. publicly released the "Everyone's Event Guidelines," aiming to realize events where no one is left behind. What is needed to run events where diverse people—regardless of nationality, age, gender, or disability—are not left behind?

We explore this with Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd. Co., Ltd., a longtime Paralympic athlete who has been involved in events in various capacities.

<Table of Contents>
▼People who feel barriers in society are no longer a "minority."

▼The "Everyone's Event Guidelines" must not be created and then forgotten.

▼Embracing diversity means moving closer to how things should be.

People who feel barriers in society are no longer a "minority."

The "Everyone's Event Guidelines" introduce seven key points for creating "events that leave no one behind," presented in the sequence of steps leading up to event participation.

Nomura: Why is it essential for event operations to be "everyone's event"? Together with Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd., I'd like to explore the current challenges facing events in Japan.

First, with the revision of the Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities, reasonable accommodations have shifted from a "duty to make efforts" to a "legal obligation" not only for government agencies but also for private companies. I predict this will be a catalyst for significant societal change.

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: It took Japan a considerable amount of time to enact this "Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities" in the first place. The UN adopted the " Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities" back in 2006, but it took Japan a long time to ratify it. The Convention aims to ensure people with and without disabilities can live equally, but Japan lagged in enacting the necessary domestic laws. Many people believed that prohibiting discrimination and providing reasonable accommodations didn't need specific legislation, thinking, "We're a society where people understand each other and things work smoothly, right?"

Nomura: So, the shift from this idea that "it should just happen naturally" to establishing legal regulations – was that due to changes in social conditions?

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: That's part of it. This isn't limited to people with disabilities. Currently, nearly 30% of Japan's total population is aged 65 or older. We've entered an era where one in three people is elderly, and this ratio will only increase further. The proportion of people facing difficulties in daily life is growing significantly.

Nomura: Indeed, in Japan today, there are many people facing difficulties in daily life, not just those with disabilities, but also the elderly and others. For example, I counted, and people including those with disabilities, the elderly, and LGBTQ+ individuals total about 64 million. Add to that people pushing strollers, foreign visitors to Japan, and those struggling with aftereffects of illness, and the number increases significantly.

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: So, they're not really "minorities" anymore, right? The barriers they face aren't caused by the disability itself; it's better to think of disability as emerging within their interactions with society. It's not about giving "rare people" special treatment.

I'd like you to shift your perspective a bit. It's not that I have a disability because I use a wheelchair. For example, if the only way to reach the second floor of a building is via stairs, it's difficult for me to get there in my wheelchair. However, if there are ramps or elevators – facilities that eliminate steps – then wheelchair access becomes possible. This means "society creates the disability."

In other words, the social model of disability posits that disability lies within society itself, advocating that we make accommodations so everyone can access spaces. As explicitly stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it's not about "people with leg disabilities needing to figure out how to get into buildings with steps themselves." Instead, it's about "society, which creates those steps, making adjustments and improvements based on the person's needs." That's the fundamental idea.

Nomura: I believe this same concept underpins the recent revision of the "Act on the Elimination of Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities." However, the "reasonable accommodation" mentioned in the Act is based on the principle that "failure to provide accommodation is prohibited." The term "reasonable" itself can be interpreted in various ways, which presents challenges.

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: Exactly. For example, suppose a person with a disability joins a company. If modifying facilities or preparing the work environment costs tens of millions of yen, is that truly "reasonable"? I think this is extremely difficult to judge. Reasonable accommodation isn't about considering only the demands or circumstances of either the business or the person with a disability. It's about mutual understanding and agreement through constructive dialogue between both parties, leading to the consideration of appropriate means, methods, or alternative solutions.

That's why I think it will be tough for a while, with many cases where a clear judgment is hard to make. Even so, unless we accumulate numerous cases and repeatedly ask, "What methods can provide reasonable accommodation and adjustments without imposing an excessive burden on either party?", we won't achieve a society where "no one is left behind." In that sense, I believe this legal revision also marks the start for each of us to deeply consider what a society where "no one is left behind" truly means.

The "Everyone's Event Guidelines" must not be created and then forgotten.

The "Everyone's Event Guidelines" are publicly available as a PDF file. Download the latest version here.

Nomura: Against this backdrop of societal change, and through gaining valuable experience at various large-scale international events, we event professionals came to deeply understand the importance and challenges of ensuring "no one is left behind." We had many opportunities to recognize diversity.

Thus, drawing on the wealth of insights gained from our practical experiences, we began asking, "What can we do?" This became the impetus for creating the Everyone's Event Guidelines.

Guideline booklets might sound thick and dense. But the "Everyone's Event Guidelines" are positioned as an "entry-level" guide, aiming to be clear and accessible to everyone. Rather than dictating "you should do this," it takes a stance of "you can do this," explaining the ideal form of "Everyone's Events" through seven key points. First and foremost, we want to change the perspective and mindset of those who organize and run events. We hope it serves as a catalyst for that shift.

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: I think it also helps people realize how many participants they've been missing out on until now. You could even use it like a checklist.

Nomura: Exactly! We plan to add a checklist feature soon, so you can confirm, "We haven't left anyone behind with this."

It categorizes the elements that make up an event into seven points (※), clearly explaining each "someone's pain point" and the corresponding "Everyone's Event Realization Point" to solve it.

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① Venue Selection: What makes a venue accessible for "everyone"?
② Event & PR: How do we promote events so "everyone" knows about them?
③ Administration & Tickets: What systems let "everyone" apply, purchase, and register?
④ Transportation: How do we ensure safe and secure access to the venue for "everyone"?
⑤ Venue Operations (Hardware): What kind of event setup ensures everyone enjoys a comfortable experience?
⑥ Venue Operations (Software): What kind of hospitality ensures everyone enjoys the event equally?
⑦ Handouts & Communication Tools: What kind of communication makes it easy for everyone to understand?

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: Regarding this seventh element, specifically point ③, electronic tickets like QR codes have become mainstream lately, right? Eliminating the hassle of ticket issuance definitely has its advantages. But my mother, for instance, is 80 years old and doesn't even know what a QR code is. People like her who aren't proficient with smartphones end up losing opportunities to participate in events.

Nomura: That's right. So now, providing information through analog methods in parallel for those who can't access digital systems—what we call "information accessibility"—has become a challenge for many companies.

Going forward, I feel Dentsu Inc. and Dentsu Live Inc. also need to develop solutions related to information accessibility. Actually, we've made this guideline available as Uni-Voice (※), so it can be heard as audio. We implemented this to ensure proper information accessibility for those who cannot read visually.

※Uni-Voice
A solution that reads aloud the contents of printed materials simply by holding a smartphone over a "Uni-Voice code." Developed by the Japan Association for Visual Information Support (JAVIS), a specific non-profit organization. Uni-Voice's "General Multilingual Smartphone App" supports both iOS and Android, but the "Smartphone App for the Visually Impaired (VoiceOver/Siri Compatible)" is currently only available for iOS. Android support is not yet available (as of February 2023).
https://www.uni-voice.co.jp/

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Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: I absolutely believe there's a need for that. It's perfectly natural for visually impaired individuals to host events themselves. Furthermore, since many people now use screen readers regardless of visual impairment, I think the guideline itself holds value by not being limited to image formats.

Nomura: Thank you. I really wanted to ask today—could Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd. share an experience where you personally encountered difficulties at an event venue? Insights like that could help us find ways to improve the guidelines...

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: Once, when I went to watch a sports match at a venue, there was a dedicated space for ten wheelchair users. But there was only one wheelchair-accessible restroom near that space. You can't all go at the same time, right? Even if you try to go during intermission, ten people would all be there at once. In the end, during the match, I was constantly worried, "When should I go to the restroom?"

But actually, there was another multi-purpose restroom nearby that wasn't being used at all. However, because of the athletes' movement routes, spectators were effectively blocked from using it. I sometimes work in event operations myself, so I understand how difficult it is to change routes once the competition has started. But if the organizers had noticed this beforehand, they could have designed the routes with that in mind. I want to eliminate situations like that.

Nomura: That's very insightful. I believe guidelines shouldn't just be created and then forgotten. By continuing to listen to various voices and conducting repeated reviews, I want to keep revising these guidelines and make them something for "everyone."

Embracing diversity means moving closer to how things should be.

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: Adults tend to think within existing frameworks, but by increasing opportunities for encounters and interaction, we gradually approach what should be the natural state. We realize, "Well, there are all kinds of people in the world, right? Of course, some attendees will be in wheelchairs. So, we should be able to provide this kind of service for them."

For example, I recently came across a really great case study. I serve on the Shibuya Ward Board of Education, and Shibuya Ward puts tremendous effort into para sports. For years now, they've consistently had para athletes visit elementary schools regularly, either to play or give talks. Then, I learned that badminton had become incredibly popular among the kids in Shibuya. When I asked why, it turned out a certain para-athlete badminton player had become a huge hero among the kids. They all started playing badminton because they admired that athlete. This struck me as quite novel. While it's happened before that admiration for pro baseball or soccer players sparked a boom in those sports, it really hit me: "Oh, admiration for para-athletes can also ignite popularity for a sport."

But when you really think about it, it's natural. For kids, whether someone has a disability or not doesn't matter. They just admire them because they're cool. It's simply that the cool athlete they see in their everyday lives happens to be in a wheelchair.

Nomura: Listening to you now, I realized that building a diverse society or one where no one is left behind isn't enough just because the government sends that message or makes laws. Like what you mentioned about Shibuya Ward, it's crucial to build real experiences from the grassroots level – in actual educational settings, workplaces, or family communication.

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: I agree. When you really think about it, the perspectives in the "Everyone's Event Guidelines" aren't that special. For example, having a "space to rest when tired" is something everyone would appreciate.

Nomura: Exactly. The guidelines have a page asking, "Who exactly is included in 'everyone'?" The feelings of "everyone" aren't particularly special; they're very relatable. I think it benefits "everyone" when everyone holds the perspective that "these are difficulties that can happen to anyone."

Dai-Nichi Co., Ltd.: Exactly. Creating a society where "no one is left behind" might seem difficult, but it's actually about "common sense" or "what's relevant to us personally." If this legal revision sparks more people to think about this, I believe it will lead to a better future. Neither society nor guidelines can ever be perfect, nor do they need to be. But right now, it feels like we've taken a step forward—or maybe half a step. I hope we can all keep updating and improving together.