#Japan #Tokorozawa #Tamiya Home #Usasa #Deaf Friendly

A Step Towards a Deaf-Friendly Society with Tamiya Home and Usasa

Tamiya Home, a company based in Tokorozawa City, Saitama Prefecture, is actively working towards a more inclusive society in line with the upcoming 2025 Deaflympics in Tokyo. In a recent initiative, they have collaborated with Usasa, a deaf manga artist, to create original safety sheets designed to visually communicate potential hazards at construction sites to individuals with hearing impairments.

These newly designed safety sheets will start being deployed across construction sites in Tokyo and the three surrounding prefectures this week. This move not only seeks to enhance safety awareness but also represents Tamiya Home's commitment towards creating a society where everyone can live with peace of mind.

Understanding Deaf Awareness Through Design

The impetus behind this project stems from the awareness raised by the Deaflympics regarding the dangers present in a world that does not communicate through sound. Construction sites are typically filled with loud machinery and tools, which serve to alert pedestrians about ongoing work. Workers often call out guidance and warnings verbally, informing bystanders to keep their distance for safety. However, these auditory signals are ineffective for those who are deaf, putting them at risk of inadvertently approaching dangerous areas unnoticed.

Additionally, construction site barriers often obscure the activities taking place within, making it hard to visually ascertain whether the work involves demolition or painting, for instance. While hearing individuals can rely on sounds to gauge safety, those who are deaf may struggle to make the same determinations based on visual cues alone. Recognizing this gap, Tamiya Home understood the need for a new approach that emphasizes visual communication to ensure that everyone can receive essential information about safety without auditory cues.

Usasa: The Artist Behind the Safety Sheets

Usasa is a notable deaf manga artist, known for expressing her own experiences and challenges in a humorous and warm manner. Through her art, Usasa creates relatable narratives that resonate with both hearing and deaf audiences, making her the perfect collaborator for this project. Tamiya Home approached Usasa, hoping she could help depict the hazards commonly found in demolition areas through her distinctive style.

The resulting design features Usasa’s signature character, a friendly rabbit, placed prominently on the safety sheet. This design aims to attract the attention of children and adults alike, while also clearly conveying essential messages about safety. A key message included in the design reads, "For safety, please keep your distance," ensuring that the sheet serves as a visual guide for all pedestrians, regardless of their hearing ability.

Usasa’s Perspective

In her comments regarding the collaboration, Usasa expressed her joy and surprise at being asked to contribute to such an innovative initiative. She noted, “Honestly, I was surprised to receive an offer from a sector I had never engaged with before. Hearing about Tamiya Home's intent to improve visual communication for the deaf was heartening, as it answered a need that we, as deaf individuals, often experience. We can't hear sounds or gauge their direction, making it challenging to know what kind of work is happening onsite.”

Usasa hopes that this design will contribute to a society that values visual information, allowing all individuals to live safely and comfortably, regardless of their hearing abilities.

Tamiya Home’s Continued Commitment

The safety sheets will start being installed in one metropolitan and three surrounding prefectures this week, aiming to foster higher safety awareness and better relationships with the communities they serve. Tamiya Home plans to further explore these topics in future interviews with Usasa to elaborate on the differences between the experiences of hearing individuals and the deaf community.

Tamiya Home believes that demolition sites, often associated with loud noises and potential fears among the hearing population, can be made more approachable through Usasa's warm character design. By adopting such strategies, they aim to shift public perception and increase acceptance of demolition work, aligning with their guiding principle that the act of demolition paves the way for new opportunities and brighter futures in communities.

Ultimately, Tamiya Home is dedicated to contributing to the development of a safe and welcoming urban environment for everyone, through their core business in demolition and construction.