Peter Bernick works in the Student Accessibility Office at Nagasaki University in Japan, where his primary focus is on coordinating accommodations for students with disabilities, but he also does training and presentations for both internal and external audiences. Originally from Hawaii, he has lived in Japan for approximately 30 years, after first arriving in Yokohama in 1984 by boat from the then-Soviet Union, with about $50 in his pocket...which is a story too long for this bio, so feel free to ask how that all came about. He is a clinical social worker licensed in Massachusetts but chose to work in Japan in the hope that he could contribute to the development of practices and attitudes that value diversity. His research interests include the intersection of culture with concepts such as self-advocacy and empowerment, as well as issues related to people with disabilities and employment. What does he do for fun? You must be kidding—remember, he works in Japan.