Women amputees stepping out of shadow

When Yoko Sato lost her left leg in an accident, she fell into despair. The stigma of amputation in a country that views disability as something to be pitied added to her misery.

But then the Japanese office worker met prosthesis maker Fumio Usui, whose artificial legs let Sato and women like her not only run, play soccer and execute karate kicks, but also transform some of the appendages into wearable works of art.

"My main aim is to change the image that disabled people are pitiful," Sato, whose leg was amputated seven years ago, said at a fashion event on Valentine's Day.