Research and Support Center on Higher Education for People with Disabilities

Recently, the number of students with hearing and/or visual disabilities enrolled in post-secondary education has been increasing. To educate these people, special educational media are required. The Center has two divisions, namely, the Division for General Education for People with Hearing and/or Visual Disabilities and the Division of Research on Support for People with Hearing and/or Visual Disabilities. The Center investigates ways to improve lessons in general education and develops materials and devices that support disabilities. Lessons for the development of communication skills and employment guidance are also provided.

Certified in fiscal year 2010 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology as a higher education facility for persons with disabilities, we are responding to a variety of demands of the institutions of higher education nationwide with regard to learning opportunities for students with disabilities.

Division for General Education for People with Hearing and/or Visual Disabilities

The Division studies improvement of the contents and curricula of general education subjects and teaching methods, in cooperation with the Division of Research on Support and related departments. The aim of the Division is to enrich students with global views, the comprehensive ability to formulate decisions, and broad human perspectives.

• Section for General Education Practice for People with Hearing Disability and Section for General Education Practice for People with Visual Disability
  This section mainly organizes, practices, and supports general education and special basic education.
• Section for Teacher Training
  The Section for Teacher Training provides education and develops curricula for disabled students who wish to serve as teachers in junior high or high schools. Students could then obtain teacher qualification.

Division of Research on Support for People with Hearing and/or Visual Disabilities

The Division of Research on Support for People with Hearing and/or Visual Disabilities, which consists of a section for people with hearing disability and that for people with visual disability, engages in research and development of new educational methods, educational devices, and systems that incorporate cutting-edge technology in the area of information and communications, while also providing guidance and support services to overcome learning difficulties caused by disabilities cooperatively with the Division for General Education for People with Hearing and/or Visual Disabilities and undergraduate faculties.

• Research and Development for Assistive Technology for People with Hearing and/or Visual Disabilities
  In this section, software and equipment for ensuring information and support for people with disabilities are researched, developed, and evaluated. Various teaching materials are also developed.
• Research on Ability Development of People with Hearing and/or Visual Disabilities
  In this section, lessons on communication skills and employment guidance are prepared, and an audiology service is also provided
• Support Service
  The main work of this section is the coordination of services for various kinds of support for students with hearing and/or visual disabilities at other universities and colleges.