Job Discussion Forums

[Guy Courchesne]

I'm trying to help a teacher with something...looking for help.

There is a well-qualified teacher who is wheelchair-bound and seeking information on employment just about anywhere in the world besides an English-speaking country. She's had no luck.

My guess is that most cities and employers around the world in developing countries wouldn't be equipped to accommodate a teacher in a wheelchair.

Does anyone know otherwise?

Japan?
Korea?
Thailand?
Argentina?
Non-EU countries?
Middle East?

[spidey]

Japan:

Within the educational world...virtually nonexistent. At least not that I have seen.

S

[Gordon]

My university in japan is wheelchair accessible, but very few places are here including gov't buildings, many banks and train stations.

One student is in a wheelchair and I've noticed many other students are not very accomodating. Often he waits a long time for the elevator and people walk past him to get on first when he waits. I've made students get out of the elevator before so he could get on.

[sigmoid]

Section 55 of the most recent Thai constitution states:

"The disabled or handicapped shall have the right to receive public conveniences and other aids from the State, as provided by law."

This has been implemented to some degree in some places like some hotels, the BTS [some stations] and at intersections with wheelchair ramps.

As this site states it is not yet adequate:

http://www.thailandguru.com/infra-handicapped.html

Anyway, two organizations are listed.

[deezy]

..

[deezy]

China: no way. I was in a wheelchair for 3 months after an accident and remained in my apartment the whole time. No lifts, no access to any buildings, impossible. And that applies to the big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, as well as the small city I live in.

[Boy Wonder]

They could try countries like Italy or Spain....a lot of the schools are based in old apartment buildings and have lifts/elevators.

[Deconstructor]

When I was in Korea, it was bad enough for those with full bipedal mobility; anything less than that was detrimental. I couldn�t imagine how a handicapped person could negotiate Korean human and car congested cities without some major help. In addition, very often people in Seoul or Kuang-ju would use an overpass to cross the streets. You'd have to go about thirty stairs up then down. If one were a handicapped person, ascending the Tower of Babel would be easier.

I saw very few paraplegics in Seoul, which indicated to me that either Koreans were made of titanium alloy or people simply stayed home. Whenever I did see one, s/he was strapped on something resembling more a cart than a wheelchair, so I thought Koreans needed to reinvent the wheelchair before accessibility crossed their mind.

[Guy Courchesne]

Thanks for all the help everyone. This is pretty much what I thought.

Still looking I am...

[eslHQ]

In korea the new places seem to be very wheelchair accessible. But the old places would be tough. Sometimes its tough to get around on my mountain bike. You have to hop up on or drop down off of a lot of curbs. i would think this very difficult in a wheelchair.

i wonder about how she would be treated, too. i think it would take a very emotionally secure and confident person to be able to successfully live here in a wheelchair as a handicap. I have never really known anyone bound to a wheelchair in the states but I think they receive more than their fair share of stares. Just imagine that coupled with their "foreigness".

anyway, i think korea would be taxing. it taxes my young, biped butt everyday

[Guy Courchesne]

This woman is qualified and determined, having told me that she would be willing to deal with the challenges she expects to face, including curbs, stares, and the occasional flight of stairs.

She's happy to go through a recruiter, or anyone honest enough to help her in this venture...