'Approaching with Love' — Finding the Core of Work in the Field of Welfare

Yes, it's Type B employment continuation support. It's a welfare service where people who are anxious about working in general companies or want to practice working at their own pace can gain experience. Through work, we help them regulate their daily rhythm and build connections with society, supporting them to work in a way that suits them.

Originally, the current director of the Chiba branch, who was my classmate from Okinawa and the same age, invited me to join when he started up here. He said I might be suited for it, so I came here. After visiting, I thought it looked fun, I had friends there, and I could work happily, so that's how I started working.

Originally, it was completely different; I hadn't even thought about what kind of job to do. Before the call came, I was thinking of going overseas, thinking I could become big there. I also wanted to do something extraordinary, so I didn't have any specific aspirations. I was looking for a more exciting job.

Well, at first, I didn't understand at all. Interacting with people with disabilities wasn't something I had much experience with in my life, so I wondered how to interact. This is a profession that can't exist without users, so I wondered how to satisfy them and how to help them find purpose or joy. I struggled with this every day. Since the users have disabilities, there were times when they were in a bad mood or upset, but I received advice from experienced people on how to improve, and somehow, I've managed to continue so far.

The hardest part was the way of interacting. It was difficult for me to put myself in the other person's shoes and talk, which is necessary in this profession. I started to think about what the users might be thinking when they talked to me, and that was quite tough for me at first. Putting myself in someone else's shoes was very difficult. Yes, because my way of living until then didn't involve understanding and talking from the other person's perspective, that was tough.

The work users do includes piecework, leather crafting, and also working with bats. We receive broken bats from professional baseball players or university baseball teams and make shoehorns from them. Our job is to support this, aligning with the users' wishes as much as possible.

It was tough at first. There were parts I couldn't understand no matter how much I tried. But once you understand that these are the kind of people they are, it turns into enjoyment. Negative comments from users or others can be reframed into how to make things go in a better direction, even a little bit, which I think is very enjoyable.

There was something I felt at the very beginning. When I made a mistake or caused inconvenience to a user, being told 'It's okay' or 'It's okay even if you make a mistake' was the happiest thing at the start. Because in daily interactions, such words are rarely said. Despite being in a tough situation where I couldn't even look at others, the staff showed consideration and support, which I was deeply moved by. That really helped me, so that's it.

I feel there's immense potential. For example, even if we go out to work somewhere, not just within the facility, but outside, like working in a supermarket, considering how far the users can go, both users and staff together, is fun. When we go out to work, you realize they can do quite detailed tasks. Once you try, you often find they can do more than expected. Going out, even for cleaning or bagging at a supermarket, they can do it.

When we can't solve a user's problem, all the staff worry and wonder what to do. There's no right answer, everyone has different sensibilities, and what worked yesterday might not work today. Also, when we think something would be better for the user, but they don't want it. We want to do what they want, but objectively, it might be difficult. That conflicting feeling of wanting to fulfill their wishes but not being able to is what everyone struggles with.

I was surprised by everything. There were things I didn't understand, like 'They do that?' or 'They do this?' in every aspect. For example, in a user's consultation, 'Hey, I heard that yesterday too.' Even though I heard it yesterday, I listen to it again today. At first, I wondered what the point was, but for the user, they're anxious and want to be heard. Just by listening, they feel 'This person listened to me,' and it helps them feel less lonely or deal with their past. I was surprised by how much we need to do that.

As our company often says, our company philosophy is 'To lead everyone involved to happiness.' We believe that treating everyone with love will always lead to positive outcomes. Love is something I want to convey to everyone. I think that's a very necessary skill.

Treating everyone with love, whether it's users, staff, or even family, is something I try to keep in mind every day. However, there are times when I want to do what's easiest for me or what I find most comfortable. That's why I think it's important to always treat others with love, not only for skill improvement but also because it encompasses everything. I constantly keep this in mind. I study various things, but treating others with love is difficult because it's easy to become self-centered rather than altruistic.

I don't have a clear vision, to be honest. But my aspiration is for everyone in my current environment, including users, to be constantly happy. Happiness varies greatly from person to person; for some, it might be having white rice for breakfast every day. I want to create a situation where people around me and the entire company are in such an environment. Another aspiration is to expand the business while also leading a fulfilling private life.

No matter what job you choose, I've come to think that love is very important in building human relationships. I believe that by treating others with love, everything will work out. Of course, in welfare, I'm involved in Type B employment continuation support, but I think this is crucial in any profession. Even if you're 50, 60, 10, or 12 years old, if you decide to be conscious of it, you can do it, so I think you should try your best.