What My Little Cousin with a Disability Taught Me

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JAPAN Forward has launched "Ignite," a series to share the voices of students in Japan in English. What do they see beyond our imagined limits? Whether someone has a disability or speaks only a foreign language, there are ways to overcome the barriers. Individually and collectively, today's students are leading the way.

This eighteenth essay introduces another winning work of the Institute for International Business Communication (IIBC) high school student English essay contest. Kinu Watanabe, a student at Chiba Prefectural Chiba Senior High School, gives us a different perspective on communicating with others, whoever they are and whatever their language and differences. In today's mobility-driven world, we can all learn from her. Let's listen.

Eighteenth in the Series, 'Ignite'

Kinu Watanabe, Winner of the 2024 IIBC Special Award for her English Language Essay

My cousin's arms are her mouth. Her hands and arms move, willed in all directions ― this is her way of communicating. Rarely do I spend time without complicated feelings when people look at her with strange eyes.

Two years ago in May, I enjoyed a sunny day at the park with my cousins and my sisters. We played on the playground for three or four hours. Then my mother called me and said, "It's lunch time, so come home." I thought I had to begin working hard. I told everyone, "Let's go home," but only one person didn't nod. It was my cute cousin.

She has Down syndrome. She is an elementary school student who is very good at dancing and is not very good at talking.

I had known that she was fond of the park. At that time, first she pronounced "Ya!" or "N!" She could only say those few words. However, we had talked a lot by that point, so I understood what she meant by saying those unclear words and using her arms and hands.

Curiosity or Criticism?

She didn't want to go home. First, she said only "Ya!" Then she continued with some unclear words and gestures. Her statement was long, and there were a lot of phrases and gestures that I had never seen before.

Then, a boy who was playing in the same park looked at us curiously. His eyes looked as if we had been doing something strange. Moreover, another child saw the unusual communication that is our style. I thought we had to hurry home. However, my strongest feeling was that of being embarrassed, being in the line of sight of those children.

In order to get home early, I badly pretended to understand her claim. But she didn't move. She knew I didn't understand or listen to her, really. The more I pretended to understand, the harder her gestures and her unclear words became. A few minutes later, I realized that I had to understand the content of her argument.

Really Communicating

First, I looked into her eyes. And I observed her gestures. Also, I remembered what she liked and the memories I had with her. She was circling her arms around her ― and alternating between them. Her face looked down. She repeated this movement over and over.

Then, it came to me. It was "a pool." I remembered she liked swimming. Then I asked her, "Do you want to go swimming?" A big smile appeared on her face. I felt the moment our hearts connected.

Once, at a station, I was asked about the train by someone who seemed to be a foreign tourist. The language they spoke was neither Japanese nor English. We conversed with maximum gestures and few proper nouns. At first, I didn't understand what they were saying, and I was scared by their expressions. However, the one moment when we understood each other, smiles appeared on their faces. ― It was the same with my cousin's case.

Overcoming Barriers

Some people say they cannot understand someone else because the other person speaks in English. It's true that the language barrier is huge. However, just because you have a conversation in Japanese, it doesn't necessarily mean you can understand everything other people are thinking.

I believe that the key to successful communication is not the language you use, but how much consideration you have for the other person. Different backgrounds may lead to different forms of communication. However, putting yourself in the other person's shoes and being considerate enables you to communicate with them.

Therefore, I think that talking with someone who speaks another language and talking with a person with a disability are the same. When our hearts connect, a smile appears. Also, the harder it is to communicate and the longer it takes to reach heart-to-heart, the bigger this smile will become.

In recent years, Japan and the world have become rich in diversity, with an increasing number of people with disabilities and immigrants. Therefore, we need to communicate with various people with different backgrounds.

I also want to use this experience to communicate with a wide variety of people and be of help to someone.

About the Author:

Kinu Watanabe was a third-year student at Chiba Prefectural Chiba Senior High School when she contributed this essay in 2024. Upon winning the IIBC Special Essay Award, she shared these remarks:

"I am honored and surprised to receive this special award.

"My cousin, who was born with a disability when I was seven years old, has always had a special place in my heart. When writing this essay, I recalled my interactions with my cousin based on the theme of 'resonance,' and summarized my own experiences of communication. I hope to continue exploring ways to communicate with people from different backgrounds.

"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to everyone who organized the contest, the judges, the teachers who guided me, and my cousin. Thank you so much."