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The Besshi Copper Mine is an important site for the Sumitomo Group, as in one sense it marks the group’s birthplace. Recently, the copper mine has come into the spotlight again as a relic of Japan’s industrial past, and the Besshi Copper Mine Memorial House is visited by some 10,000 people a year, including new employees and directors of Sumitomo Group companies. To give more people access to the history of the Besshi Copper Mine, barrier - free modifications had become an urgent need.
“The interior of our museum was designed to resemble a mine tunnel,” explains Yasuo Inoue, the current curator. “We didn’t want the modifications to disturb this image; so we had to carefully consider even the color of the handrails. In the past, caregivers didn’t have the opportunity to look at the exhibits because they were too busy; the barrier - free modifications mean that they, too, can now get the most out of our facility while still looking after the people they’ve brought along. We’ve had lots of positive feedback about this, and we’ve even had many able - bodied visitors who’ve said they prefer the ramps to the stairs.”
According to Inoue, some wheelchair users at first seemed anxious when they used the lift, but they soon smiled when he or his staff walked alongside and talked to them as the lift carried them up or down the stairs.
Consideration is thinking about another person’s needs. It is an attitude that removes barriers in people’s hearts, and facilitates the formation of trust between people. It may seem mundane, but people are now realizing that such consideration is, in reality, the first step on the road to a society informed by universal design. |
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| Slopes replaced steps by the entrance, internal staircases, and other areas where there were differences in floor height to make it easy to negotiate by wheelchair. |
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| Yasuo Inoue, current curator of the Besshi Copper Mine Memorial House |
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