CIL Film Screening Held
On Wednesday, May 14, 2025, a CIL Film Screening was held at APU.
Approximately 20 participants from both on and off campus joined the event to watch a documentary tracing the life and work of Dr. BOOKMAN Mark, a historian of disability policy, who was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Tokyo College, visiting researcher at Ritsumeikan University's Institute of Ars Vivendi, board member of the Society for Disability Studies (USA), and an international committee member of the Japan Society for Disability Studies, among his various affiliations. He sadly passed away in 2022 at the young age of 31.
Following the screening, Mr. NAGASE Osamu (Senior Researcher, Institute of Ars Vivendi, Ritsumeikan University), who initiated the event and also serves as a board member of the Mark Bookman Foundation, shared a message from Mark’s father, personal stories from Mark’s life, and background on the making of the film.
In the subsequent discussion session, guest speaker Mr. SASAHARA Hiroki (Omron Taiyo Co., Ltd.), a silver medalist in the wheelchair marathon at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics, spoke about his experiences as an athlete and his reflections after watching the film.
Students in the audience shared comments such as, “I found the idea of accepting disability as part of one's self very inspiring,” and “I was reminded that, regardless of ability, no one can live entirely on their own.”
The event provided a valuable opportunity to reflect on how we can build a society in which people live together with mutual respect, regardless of ability.
