My Own

The defining characteristic of the Yokohama City Special Support School for the Visually Impaired is its genuine commitment to responding to the fine gradations of each student’s visual impairment and individuality. From teaching materials to lesson plans, the school implements truly meticulous and creative adaptations tailored to every single person.

Terms like "diversity" and "inclusion" have gained widespread recognition over time, which is undoubtedly a positive development. However, as these words become ubiquitous, one could argue that we have fewer opportunities to truly reflect on their underlying meaning and significance. Every person is different; we should be respected as individuals rather than categorized. Education, by its nature, requires a process that fits each student. This school is dedicated to making that ideal a reality.

We wanted to share the school’s efforts with children with visual impairments who are considering enrolling or transferring, their parents, and those in the field of education. Furthermore, regardless of whether one has a disability or not, we wanted to use this project as a catalyst for dialogue—expressing that every human being is unique, with their own way of perceiving the world. We hope it encourages people to think about a society where we can find each other’s differences "interesting" rather than "different." With this mindset, we created a series of posters.

Specifically, to learn how students who are blind or have low vision "see" the world, we selected five motifs: Mt. Fuji, the Statue of Liberty, the Pyramids, the Earth, and the Universe. We asked the students to describe the images they hold in their minds, and we used those words as our guide for the illustrations. These were brought to life by Ai Shinomiya, an illustrator known for her experimental approach using various art supplies and techniques. She utilized materials like masking tape, tracing paper, and plastic wrap to create the visuals.

Each piece is accompanied by the copy: "My Own Mt. Fuji," "My Own Statue of Liberty," "My Own Pyramid," "My Own Earth," and "My Own Universe." This expresses that there is no single way to view the world; perception is unique to every individual. The layout of the copy was inspired by the six-dot structure of Braille.

Through this poster series, we hope to provide an opportunity for people to realize that our perspectives do not have to be rigid or uniform. It is okay—and more interesting—for there to be diverse ways of seeing, and our own personal perspective is not the only "correct" one.