Symposium: Accessibility for All – Sports, AI and Robotics

In this symposium, we aim to understand the current issues surrounding accessibility, which many of us take for granted, but remains unsolved in many areas including education, sports, health and many more. This summer, our speakers from all over the world will discuss how best to tackle these issues, leveraging the latest technology in automation and AI.

On 11 March 2011, one of the most powerful earthquakes in human history struck the north-east of Japan. It caused a large tsunami which devastated the coastline of East Japan and resulted in the death of 15,895 people. In Fukushima, the tsunami struck TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, causing an explosion in the reactors and the release of radioactive material. The resulting radioactive-contamination was the most serious since the Chernobyl disaster. More than 100,000 people were evacuated and displaced from their homes. The decommissioning of the reactors and the removal of the radioactive-contamination are essential for Japan to be able to overcome this issue.

In the first part of the symposium, Naomi Hirose (former president of Tokyo Electric Power Company) will discuss the progress being made towards decommissioning the nuclear power plant, and the technological development associated with this.

Part two will begin with Kazushi Takahashi (Fukushima Prefecture), discussing the removal of radioactive-contamination from the region after the East Japan Earthquake in 2011, which will be followed by a conversation on ageing, a pressing issue in both Japan and Britain.

We will also be joined by two special guest Paralympians at this symposium; Noel Thatcher, MBE, a legend of British Para-Athletics and five time Paralympic gold medallist and Takayuki Suzuki, who has five medals across the Athens, Beijing, and London Paralympic Games, and is aiming for another in Tokyo 2020. They will be talking about their lives and experiences as Paralympians.

Through this symposium, we hope that the participants will come to understand the importance of accessibility associated problems. Whilst we especially hope that the accessibility problems in Fukushima will be solved soon, we also hope that new technology and AI may bring a much better future to all of us.

This symposium has been co-organised with the Japan Foundation, and is supported by Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, Japan Sports Council, UCL Grand Challenge, UCL Global Disability Innovation Hub, Embassy of Japan, UK-Japan Season of Culture.

Following the symposium, there will be a 'Fukushima Reception', where food and drinks will be served for all participants.