Horie Sharyo Denso Corporation (headquartered in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo) has decided to hold a baseball game, "Universal Baseball," at West Harrison Senior Center, West Harrison, New York, USA, on Sunday, April 21, 2024, where people with and without disabilities can compete equally.

This will be the first time the event will be held overseas. Universal Baseball was originally developed in 2019 by Horie Sharyo Denso Co. We propose the use of universal baseball fields as one of the educational programs at educational institutions and various facilities, and continue to hold the event throughout Japan as a school class where students learn the joy of being cheered on by others and the importance of supporting others.

Video to Introduce its examples of recent events
Video Link:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSo-a196ugk

It is designed to be enjoyed together by people with and without disabilities.

This year's event will be held for the Apple Time Special Needs Children and Families, which began in 2020 when Universal Baseball was shared as "bright news" on the Apple Time Facebook page and the Horie Sharyo sent a message of appreciation. After the Covid-19 pandemic, the exchange deepened and led to the hosting of Uiversal Baseball in New York in 2024.
Horie Sharyo is pleased that Universal Baseball will become known to people around the world beyond national borders, and hopes that it will be used around the world as an educational program where people can learn the joy of being supported by others and the importance of supporting others.

Event overview :
Date: April 21, 2024 (Sunday)
Start Time: 12:45 onwards
Venue: West Harrison Senior Center, West Harrison, New York
251 Underhill Ave West Harrison NY 10604
Organizer: Horie Sharyo Densou Co., Ltd.
Co-organizer: Apple Time Family Inc. （NPO）Participants: Children with special needs and their families associated with Apple Time.

● How Universal Baseball Works　
　The size of the ballpark is about one-twentieth (120 m) of a typical baseball field, and for example, a wheelchair user can stand in the batter's box. It consists of unique ideas and technologies, such as a ball table using a rotating table that makes one turn in approximately 2 seconds, a ball approximately 10 cm in diameter, and a batting method that allows anyone to swing without difficulty.

It is a new baseball game developed independently.

● Universal Baseball Story (excerpted from the official https://universalbaseball.world/)　
　 In 2017, an encounter with a baseball-loving boy who attends a special needs elementary school triggered the idea of creating Universal Baseball.
The Sports Promotion Section of the Disability Support Division of Horie Sharyo Denso Co., Ltd. provides opportunities for people with disabilities to exercise their bodies through various sports, such as wheelchair tennis experience classes.

　The idea was to create a baseball game that anyone could participate in and play together.
After much trial and error, we developed a prototype of a baseball bat that can be swung if the player can move 1 cm. After repeated improvements, we decided not to throw the ball, but to use a turntable placed at the home base to spin the ball and hit it.

　We received video letters from children who participated in the development saying, "I want to play baseball! I love baseball,
We began building a one-twentieth baseball field to give them a little taste of actual baseball.

　In 2019, we built a prototype baseball board and held games with children from special needs schools. A ubiquitous voice calls out the names of the players and they enter the batter's box. From the stands, "Katbase!" with a cheering song.
The children were cheering! The smiles on their faces as they experienced baseball for the first time in their lives left a lasting impression on the participants.

　Since then, it has hosted tournaments and survived the COVID-19 disaster, and this universal baseball stadium is now being used as one of the educational programs at educational institutions and various other facilities.　In Japan, universal baseball has been introduced at regular schools, special-needs schools, schools for the disabled, and special-needs schools nationwide in various subjects such as exchange, morality, physical education, and regular subjects with the theme of the program is to learn "the joy of being cheered" and "the importance of cheering".

Video to Introduce its examples of recent events
Video Link:
https://universalbaseball.world/media/2602/
https://universalbaseball.world/media/2306/


● Horie Sharyo Background of the Start of Support Business for People with Disabilities
　Horie Sharyo was established in 1968 to perform maintenance, modification, and inspection of railcars for private railway companies in the Tokyo metropolitan area. The mainstay of the railcar maintenance business is the maintenance of railcars to ensure that customers can use railcars with peace of mind. The main focus of the rolling stock maintenance business is to maintain rolling stock to provide customers with a safe and comfortable ride, while the main focus of the modification business is to renew rolling stock by constantly incorporating new technologies.

　We are committed to making a broad and deep contribution to society through flexible ideas and actions, and our core business is rolling stock maintenance. At the same time, we advocate the flexible response to the changes of the times and the pursuit of the ideal way of doing business to become a truly needed company with the ability to take action. One of our efforts is to solve issues related to the employment of people with disabilities.

　In 2013, we had an encounter with a soccer player with intellectual disabilities. Even though they were skilled enough to be selected for the national team, they were limited in where they could work. There were workplaces where they could make the most of their strengths, but there was no connection between them and those workplaces. The first step we took was to spread the word about these players who wanted to work but had no place to do so. We began supporting the Japan Soccer Federation for the Intellectually Challenged with the creation of a website and public relations activities. We also launched a project to provide support for people with disabilities in order to specifically address the issue of employment.

Currently, comprehensive support for persons with disabilities (employment, daily life, and leisure time) is being developed under the name of "Triangle" as a business that connects persons with disabilities who strongly desire to live in society, supporters who provide support for persons with disabilities, and companies that actively seek to employ persons with disabilities.
For more information, please visit Triangle's website http://h-tryangle.jp/

　Sports are a great way to learn rules and cooperation through participation. It can create an environment where all participants, including people with disabilities, can experience and grow together in a place. Horie Sharyo’ s main approaches to sports are as follows.

・Management of FC Tryangle Tokyo, the only adult futsal team in which able-bodied people and people with disabilities play together.

・Planning and operation of sports classes: Inviting Paralympic athletes in various sports and holding wheelchair tennis classes, etc., as needed, with a focus on professional coaching.

　Universal Baseball, which started as one of the initiatives of the Disability Support Division, is now being developed as the Future Creation Division.


event flyer

●Contact
Hidemi Taguma (Public Relations Office: Argoverse Corporation)
Phone: +81-3-5533-8808　Mail：horiesharyo@argo-ms.com

●About Horie Sharyo Denso Co., Ltd.
　Horie Sharyo Denso Co., Ltd. was established in 1968 to perform maintenance, modification, and inspection of railcars for private railway companies in the Tokyo metropolitan area.The mainstay of the railcar maintenance business is the maintenance of railcars to ensure that customers can use railcars with peace of mind. The main focus of the rolling stock maintenance business is to maintain rolling stock to provide customers with a safe and comfortable ride, while the main focus of the modification business is to renew rolling stock by constantly incorporating new technologies.
For more information, please visit: http://horie-sharyo.co.jp/