PROJECT

＃01

2023.12.1

Japan's blind judo team to promote VISIONGRAM at the world championships

SETO Yujiro

The Japan Blind Judo Federation announced that the national blind judo team will be promoting VISIONGRAM during the IBSA Judo Grand Prix Tokyo—the world championships of blind judo. During the tournament, to be held Dec. 4 – 5 at Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium, each team member will carry business cards, one side of which displays information in a standard format while the other side displays the same information but visually altered by the member’s own VISIONGRAM filter. A QR code on the card provides access to that member’s VISIONGRAM filter, allowing the public to produce videos and images that they can share on social media to promote awareness about visual impairment. The Japan Blind Judo Federation hopes that this initiative will deepen public understanding of visual impairment and increase interest in blind judo.

VISIONGRAM filters of Japan’s blind judo team members

* Images below are for reference only. *As of IBSA Judo GPRIX 2023

COMMENT

Yusuke Hatsuse

Yusuke Hatsuse

Vice President, Japan Blind Judo Federation

I have always struggled to convey how I see the world. When I saw the designs created with VISIONGRAM, I couldn’t believe my eyes: my impairment had been made visible. I now have an easy and wonderful tool for communicating how I see the world to not only the people of Japan but also people around the world. On behalf of the Japan Blind Judo Federation, I would like to say that we are ecstatic to have been able to play a part in this project. I hope that VISIONGRAM will increase awareness that people with different visual impairments see the world in different ways—and that this realization will deepen the public’s understanding of visual impairment.

Takuya Tsuji

Takuya Tsuji

Ophthalmologist; Supervisor and Collaborator, VISIONGRAM

Although “visual impairment” tends to be used as a catch-all term, the truth is that every visually impaired person experiences unique forms of visual loss or difficulty. Thanks to VISIONGRAM, the family, friends, colleagues, and other associates of the visually impaired can experience and understand how they see the world. In the medical field, to which I belong, the clear visualization of complex disability test data could help make it easier for doctors to communicate with their patients. In sports, para-athletes could use this tool to gain a more objective understanding of the missing areas of their vision that are sometimes difficult to notice and use their newfound knowledge to improve their strategies and training. In this way, I believe VISIONGRAM could have practical applications in many different fields.