Disabled Kids Offered Places to Feel at Ease in Quake-Hit Kumamoto

Uki, Kumamoto Pref., Aug. 10 (Jiji Press)--Efforts are underway in Kumamoto Prefecture to provide children with developmental and intellectual disabilities with places to stay during the day and relieve stress, after a 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck the southwestern Japan prefecture late last month.

As many such children are sensitive to changes in their environment and may have difficulty controlling their emotions, facilities they regularly attend, including after-school programs and special-needs schools, have begun offering daytime spaces for them.

At Asobi Studio Uki, an after-school daycare service facility in the city of Uki, the voices of elementary and junior high school students echoed through the building Friday.

Some children relaxed by lying on balance balls, while others had their hair tied by staff members. During a game of team ball-toss, a boy on the losing team asked a staff member for another round.

About 40 children, including those with developmental disabilities, have been attending the facility since before the earthquake to learn social skills through sports.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]