“I envision a world where a person with multiple disabilities can be euthanized, with an agreement from the guardians, when it is difficult for the person to carry out household and social activities,” the letter said.

Uematsu’s letter said he could “wipe out a total of 470 disabled individuals” by targeting two facilities for disabled people during the night shift, “when staffing is low”.

“The act will be carried out speedily, and definitely without harming the staff. After wiping out the 260 people in two facilities, I will turn myself in.” (Uematsu)

This is the letter Satoshi Uematsu wrote to the Japanese Parliament months prior to attacking 45 people at the Tsukui Yamayuri En facilities in Sagamihara, Japan. Sagamihara City is home to many government run medical and care facilities where residents of southern Japan can seek help for their mental or physical ailments. Uematsu said that he was trying to “save” people with multiple disabilities. (Uematsu) Like the Americans with Disabilities Act works to provide care and attention to the disabled community in the United States, the Tsukui Yamayuri En facilities in Japan made sure their residents got the treatment, care, and attention they needed. Uematsu was a former employee of the facilities and was able to get in, kill 19 and severely wound 25. He targeted a place that was a safe haven of sorts for the disabled people of Japan. Uematsu has been credited to have also said, "It is better that disabled people disappear." (Uematsu)

In a time when news spreads to social media like wildfire, when updates on current events are just one “refresh” click away, why didn’t this tragedy attract more attention? Or rather, why wasn’t news of this in my social media feeds? Why wasn’t anyone talking about it? Well, no one knew. When I asked my friends and family if they had heard about what had happened in Japan, they all replied no, they hadn’t. They hadn't seen the slight handful of articles the media released about the event and because of the lack of coverage, many are only just recently hearing about it for the first time.

There is so much wrong with this hate crime. First of all, to have the thought that disabled people are suffering too much by being alive, living with their disability, is atrocious and detrimental, though the one thinking it may not think so. The way disabled people have been traditionally portrayed in media has caused the manifestation of a stigma that disabled people are incompetent beings and cannot take care of themselves. This is unfair to many individuals of the disabled community, by unintentionally putting everyone under one label that reads “SICK, MENTALLY INCAPABLE” when there’s such a huge variety of disabilities.

July 26th is an important day in the disabled community in the United States. On July 26th, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed. Before then, people with disabilities could be discriminated against while getting a job, education, and the transportation they needed. The ADA hoped to begin to diminish the prejudice disabled people faced. It was the start of the fight to be heard and seen as individuals in society, not belittled by their disability.

I say fight because life as a disabled person can be difficult at times. As a disabled person, I have to advocate for myself at all times, always be cautious and observant of my surroundings, and make accommodations for myself when needed. But despite all the trials and tribulations I've faced in my life, I’ve always held my head up high. I'm aware that yes it takes me a little bit longer to do physical work, but I get it done. My disability isn't something I'm ashamed of, nor do I wish I weren't alive because of it. I’m alive, I'm breathing, I'm here and I'm happy. I'm beautifully and differently made and I'm okay with that.

Was Japan massacre an act of terrorism? Well what defines “terrorism”? According to the United States Department of Defense, terrorism is “the calculated use of unlawful violence or threat of unlawful violence to inculcate fear; intended to coerce or intimidate governments or societies in the pursuit of goals that are generally political, religious, or ideological.” Though no motive has been released, this was an act of terrorism. Uematsu aimed to kill off a portion of a specific community, based on their lack of physical or mental capabilities.

The voices of disabled people are muted. Stigma exists and advocates have to scream to be heard. This is me adding my voice to the hopefully one day deafening roar of the voices of people in the disabled community. We are not defined or limited by our disabilities and we've become resilient in the face of adversity. We deserve a chance to live our lives to the best of our abilities, just like anyone else in the world. Help us to speak up against hate crimes. Take whatever action you can, even if it's simply a discussion among friends, colleagues, or family. Please, don't silence our voices.