Disabled People Rally in Tokyo

One thing Japan deserves props for is its train infrastructure. In the US, my home country, the visually impaired are just about closed off from the vast majority of all employment opportunities as well as potential residences, because of society’s dependence on, and favoritism toward, automobiles.

And there’s no movement even among hardcore political-correctness activists to sympathize with people whose vision prevents them from driving, unlike for people whose physical infirmities prevent them from doing almost anything else. There are handicapped parking spots — but nothing at all for people who can’t even park a car (or operate a car) to begin with!

In Japan, thankfully, the default assumption in a mid-sized city or bigger is that people will be using trains. Since no license is required to ride a train, and AFAIK nothing that would legally bar someone from riding a train, Japan’s transportation infrastructure is more open than that of an automobile-oriented society, and the visually impaired can (in general) have full access to society. Hopefully when the price of oil spikes again, car-centric countries will do something about this.

You miss the spirit of Mr. Spock’s axiom. When he spoke of it, he was referring to sacrificing oneself for the good of the community. As opposed to ignoring and denying the needs of those less fortunate.