Barrier Value: Transforming barriers into value | Toshiya Kakiuchi | TEDxKyoto
Toshiya Kakiuchi still dreams about walking on his own feet. However, his inability to walk or “barrier” made him realize the “value” in trying to find explore new market opportunities.
Toshiya Kakiuchi is an entrepreneur who personifies the value of barriers. He has an incurable disease and has been on a wheelchair since childhood. Promoting “the value of barriers” led Kakiuchi to start his company “MIRAIRO” in 2010 while studying at university. In Japan, “universal design” is necessary for one third of the population, and he is spreading it to the world. His business has created a project to eliminate environmental, psychological and information-sharing barriers that hinder the lives of persons with disabilities, the elderly and their families. He is also spreading the idea about “universal manners” – how to treat disabled people and the elderly – and developing an app “Bmaps” to transmit barrier-free information. In 2018, he received the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Award at the Japan Venture Awards, and was also featured on TV Tokyo’s “Dawn of Gaia.” He is also the author of the book “Barrier Values” published by Shinchosha.