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Analysis of the Present Condition and Educational Status of the Deaf-blind Students in Japan

  • Journal of Special Education: Theory and Practice
  • Abbr : JSPED
  • 2021, 22(4), pp.99-122
  • DOI : 10.19049/JSPED.2021.22.4.05
  • Publisher : Research Institute of the Korea Special Education
  • Research Area : Social Science > Education
  • Received : November 8, 2021
  • Accepted : December 1, 2021
  • Published : December 31, 2021

Park Kyung Ran 1

1세한대학교

Accredited

ABSTRACT

[Purpose] This study aimed to find implications for setting the direction of educational support for deaf-blind students in Korea by analyzing the present condition and educational status of deaf-blind students in Japan. [Method] To this end, policy data on the deaf-blind from the Japanese Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology were analyzed. Laws related to special support education and learning guidelines for special support schools were also analyzed. [Results] First, in Japan, no legal definition of ‘deaf-blind’ has been established, and the term ‘deaf-blind (Mourou)’was being used. Among the 14,000 deaf-blind people in Japan, 555 are estimated to be school-aged. The percentages of ‘low vision and hard of hearing impaired’ or ‘blind and hard of hearing impaired’ students were higher than the percentage of ‘deaf-blind' students, and a high percentage of students had other disabilities apart from deaf-blindness. Second, Japan finds disabilities through ‘infant and child health screening’and ‘school enrollment health screening'. Moreover, Japan emphasizes a connected support system through cooperation in related fields, such as health, welfare, and education. When a disability is found through screening, an ‘individual support plan’ is established to counsel and support the disabled person. If the person is of school age, this plan is converted to an ‘individual education support plan’ and support services are provided by special support schools. Third, in Japan, the curriculum for deaf-blind students requires additional ‘self-reliance activities’ along with an education equivalent to the general curriculum. In particular, considerations for the selection and use of communicative means are specified in the ‘communication’ part of the‘self-reliance activities'. To foster the expertise of the teachers of deaf-blind students, the Japanese‘National Institute of Special Needs Education’ offers and annual workshop, and the ‘National Research Society for Deaf-blind Education’ has been established to share cases of deaf-blind education practices. [Conclusion] Based on the research results, implications were found regarding the diagnosis and evaluation of deaf-blind students, educational placement, the organization and implementation of the curriculum, and the development of teacher expertise.

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