Seicho School

Lynsey Robinson

During the latest Sensory Trust trip to Japan I visited the Seicho School, a residential care centre for people with Learning disabilities in Tokyo. My guide was Dr Ko Senda, a landscape architect who works at the architecture firm Environment Design Institute (EDI). The centre had been designed by EDI three years before and it was a good chance to go back and see how everything was working.

The centre itself had a great feel to it as we approached. It is situated right in the centre of a community on the outskirts of Tokyo. The surrounding grounds, although not large, have been well designed to give opportunities for working outside and contain planting to create year round seasonal interest. Importantly the grounds are visible from all the rooms in the building.

We were greeted by one of the managers who was very happy to show off the centre as they were pleased with their facility and the difference it was making to people’s lives. We headed up to the second floor where the service users live. We were shown the living facilities that are all designed around a central outdoor courtyard for drying washing and small planting opportunities. We then headed down to the ground floor where most of the activities take place. The centre is keen to see itself as part of the local community. It has a distinct advantage with its location but has also made a real effort to get involved with the local community in as many ways as possible.

The service users are part of a recycling scheme. They collect articles that can be recycled, such as cans and bottles, and carry out the first part of the recycling process by washing the articles before they are sent to the recycling plant. This helps the local community achieve their recycling objectives and earns everyone involved a small amount of money. The other major project they have embarked on is a bakery. The service users bake goods in the centre in a fully equipped kitchen. These are then sold from the grounds one day a week to the local residents or anyone who is lucky enough to be passing by! Again this acts as a financial gain for the individuals and helps give the community at large a greater understanding of what it is like to have a learning disability and live and work in a facility such as this. The community is more supportive as a result.

The best thing about the centre’s location is that it allows the families of people living there greater access to visit regularly. This was something that has often been uncommon in Japan, and many other parts of the world, as facilities for people with learning disabilities have in the past been located in isolated areas. The result is a lack of understanding and a belief that it would somehow be better for the individuals and the community to be separated. The centre goes a long way to proving that is not the case.

Engagement at Quarry Bank Mill | Index | Widgit Discover Packs

Registered Charity No. 1020670. Company limited by guarantee No. 02811046

© 2008 Sensory Trust