ERIC EJ1144616: Disability and Career Services Provision for Students with Disabilities at Institutions of Higher Education in Japan: An Overview of Key Legislation, Policies, and Practices

2017·0.45 MB·English

by  ERIC

Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(1), 61-81 61
Disability and Career Services Provision for Students with
Disabilities at Institutions of Higher Education in Japan:
An Overview of Key Legislation, Policies, and Practices
Heike Boeltzig-Brown1
Abstract
In 2013, the Japanese government passed antidiscrimination legislation that, starting in April 2016, requires
all national and public institutions of higher education (IHEs) to accommodate students with disabilities. The
legislative mandate to ensure that higher education is accessible to students with disabilities, coupled with
growth in the number of students with disabilities attending university or college, increases pressure on Japa-
nese policymakers to build the capacity of their higher education system. The paper provides an overview of
key legislation and policies in disability and higher education in Japan, followed by a description of the cur-
rent state of cross-disability services provision at Japanese IHEs. Included is a focus on career development
and employment (career services provision), as these are critical aspects of comprehensive supports for stu-
dents with disabilities in higher education. The paper is based on a review of current literature and secondary
survey data, as well as key informant interviews with Japanese government officials, disability and career
services personnel, and faculty directly involved in disability and career services provision at Japanese IHEs.
It concludes with potential areas for Japan-United States learning and information sharing.
Keywords: Disability, reasonable accommodations, disability services, career services, higher education, Japan
Over the past decade many countries, including The article mandates nations to provide reasonable
Japan, have recognized the importance of higher edu- accommodations to individuals with disabilities so
cation as a stepping-stone to competitive employment that they can exercise their right. Japan is one of 157
and community membership for persons with disabil- countries that have ratified the convention (United
ities. To this end, numerous legislations and policies Nations Enable, n.d.).
have been implemented nationally and international- Starting April 1, 2016, all national and public in-
ly, including the Convention on the Rights of Persons stitutions of higher education (IHEs) in Japan must
with Disabilities (CRPD). Adopted by the United accommodate students with disabilities in accordance
Nations General Assembly in 2006, Article 24 of the with the Act on the Elimination of Disability Discrim-
CRPD requires ination (Law No. 65) that was passed by the Japanese
Diet prior to the ratification of the CRPD, on June 19,
States Parties [to] recognize the right of persons 2013. The Act also encourages (but does not mandate)
with disabilities to education. With a view to real- private IHEs to provide disability accommodations.
izing this right without discrimination and on the The concept of “reasonable accommodation” is
basis of equal opportunity,…[to] ensure an inclu- emerging in Japan. It is broadly defined in the Act,
sive education system at all levels and life long and policymakers are currently in the process of mak-
learning directed to…enabling persons with dis- ing regulations to guide universities and colleges in
abilities to participate effectively in a free society. the provision of reasonable accommodations and the
(United Nations, 2006) development of processes and procedures for students
1 University of Massachusetts Boston
62 Boeltzig-Brown; Higher Education in Japan
who feel that their request for reasonable accommo- Sports, Science, and Technology (MEXT); Mr. Soi-
dations was unreasonably denied. Although the con- chiro Yamada, executive director of the Student Ser-
cept of reasonable accommodation in Japan is recent, vices Department, JASSO (JASSO is a semi-govern-
data from an annual national survey of Japanese IHEs mental agency under MEXT); Ms. Mieko Watanabe,
suggest that about 60% of institutions support stu- PhD, professor emeritus of Tsukuba University and
dents with disabilities in some way, and that institu- head of the Committee for Career Services Staff De-
tions vary widely in terms of the number of students velopment, JASSO; Takeo Kondo, PhD, associate
with disabilities they support (Japan Student Services professor at the Tokyo University Research Center for
Organization [JASSO], 2015a). Advanced Science and Technology, founding mem-
The infrastructure to address the needs of stu- ber / administrative staff of the Association on High-
dents with disabilities in higher education in Japan er Education and Disability (AHEAD) JAPAN, and
is underdeveloped. Only about 10% of IHEs have a member of an expert committee convened by MEXT
disability services department, office, or center, and in April 2015 to provide guidance on the implemen-
about 18% have policies and procedures that guide tation of the new disability antidiscrimination legis-
the provision of disability services (JASSO, 2015a). lation in higher education; and Mr. Masaru Kubota,
Despite the lack of infrastructure, the number of stu- head of the Division of Career Services, Department
dents with disabilities, particularly those with devel- of Student Affairs, Tsukuba University.
opmental disabilities, entering university or college Additionally, the author co-facilitated three study
has been increasing (although the percent as a total of group meetings with eight Japanese individuals who
all students entering IHEs is low). were selected based on their expertise in disability,
The legislative mandate to ensure that higher higher education, and employment. The purpose of
education is accessible to students with disabilities, these expert meetings was to inform the development
coupled with growth in the number of students with of a project to train disability and career services per-
disabilities attending university or college, increas- sonnel from Japanese IHEs in the US on how to better
es pressure on Japanese policymakers to build the serve students with disabilities. The Nippon Founda-
capacity of their higher education system, provid- tion of Japan sponsored this activity (and the result-
ing an important opportunity for both Japan and the ing project), with meetings held between January and
United States to learn from each other’s experienc- April 2015. Results from these expert meetings also
es. Building higher education’s disability capacity is informed the development of this paper.
also critical for Japan’s businesses, which subject to
a mandatory disability employment quota, are facing Key Legislation and Policies Related to Disability,
significant challenges in recruiting qualified employ- Higher Education, and Employment
ees with disabilities. The Constitution of Japan stipulates that all peo-
This paper provides an overview of key legislation ple, including those with disabilities, have “a right to
and policies in disability and higher education in Ja- receive an equal education according to their abili-
pan, and then describes the current state of cross-dis- ty” (Article 26). Article 4 of the 1947 Basic Law on
ability services provision at Japanese IHEs. Included Education, as amended in December 2006 (Law No.
is a focus on career development and employment 120), specifically mentions people with disabilities,
(career services provision), as these are critical as- mandating “national and local governments [to] pro-
pects of comprehensive supports for students with vide support in education to persons with disabilities,
disabilities in higher education. The paper concludes to ensure that they are given adequate education in
with potential areas for Japan-United States learning accordance with their condition.”
and information sharing. On June 19, 2013, the Japanese Diet passed the
The information presented in this paper is based Act on the Elimination of Disability Discrimination
on a review of current literature and secondary survey (Law No. 65), which protects people with disabilities
data, as well as key informant interviews conducted from being discriminated against in higher education
between April 2014 and July 2015 in Japan. Key in- settings. The law defines persons with disabilities in
formants included Mr. Yusuke Shoji, unit chief of the same way as the 1970 Basic Law for Persons with
the Student Support and Exchange Division, Higher Disabilities, as amended in June 2013 (Law No. 65), as
Education Bureau, Ministry of Education, Culture, “individuals who have physical, intellectual or mental
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(1) 63
impairments (including developmental disability) and ty services provision in Japan (MEXT, 2012a). The
whose daily life or social life is substantially and con- committee was asked to develop a working definition
tinuously limited due to their impairments and vari- of reasonable accommodation for higher education;
ous social barriers” (Chapter 1, Article 2). to define the target, types, and scope of reasonable
Starting April 1, 2016, all national and public IHEs accommodations to be provided at Japanese IHEs;
in Japan must accommodate students with disabilities and to identify short-term, medium-term, and long-
in accordance with the new disability antidiscrimina- term challenges to translating some of these ideas into
tion law (Article 7). They must also create procedures practice, involving key stakeholders (government
and processes for students with disabilities to file a agencies, professional organizations, IHEs, etc.) in
complaint if their request for reasonable accommoda- this process.
tions has been denied or insufficiently addressed (Ar- The committee summarized the results of its work
ticle 7). The law encourages, but does not mandate, in a final report (MEXT, 2012a). The report defines
private IHEs to follow these provisions. reasonable academic accommodations as:
As of December 2014, there were 86 national uni-
versities, 92 public universities, and 603 private uni- Any necessary and appropriate changes / adjust-
versities in Japan (MEXT, 2014a). Japanese national ments which universities and other similar insti-
universities were until March 2004 directly operated tutions make in order to ensure that persons with
by MEXT. On April 1, 2004, these universities ob- disabilities can enjoy and exercise the right to re-
tained legal status by becoming “national universi- ceive education equally as others. These adjust-
ty corporations,” an effort that was part of a wider ments or changes are made in consideration of the
government reform of Japanese IHEs (Oba, 2006). individual situation of each student with disabil-
MEXT provides grants to both national and private ities and are made in response to their needs for
universities to cover operational expenses. In contrast receiving education in the university or other sim-
to national and private universities, public universi- ilar institutions…Reasonable accommodations
ties are operated by local governments, either prefec- are not meant to place unbalanced or excessive
tural or municipal, and are largely funded with local burden on the universities or similar institutions
taxpayer monies. (A prefecture is the equivalent of a either structurally or financially. (MEXT, 2012a,
state in the US. There are a total of 47 prefectures in section 4, para. 8)
Japan.) Similar to national universities, public univer-
sities were allowed to incorporate starting on April 1, In February 2015, the Japanese government passed
2004 (MEXT, 2009). a “Basic Policy on the Promotion of Elimination of
Prior to the passing of the new disability anti- Disability Discrimination” to guide the implementa-
discrimination legislation, the 2011 amendment to tion of the new law in all relevant fields, including
the Basic Law for Persons with Disabilities (Law education, employment, health, and public transpor-
No. 90), for the first time, introduced the concept tation (Japanese Cabinet Office, 2015). The policy
of reasonable accommodation into Japanese legis- defines key terms (such as persons with disabilities
lation (Japanese Cabinet Office, 2012). Article 4.2 and private-sector employers), explains concepts
of the amendment recognizes that failure to provide (such as unfair discriminatory treatment, reasonable
disability accommodations constitutes an act of dis- accommodations, and undue burden), and provides
crimination, a stipulation that came without any le- examples of unfair discriminatory treatment and ex-
gal enforcement in general. amples of reasonable accommodations. The policy
The concept of “reasonable accommodation” is further outlines broad measures that national and lo-
emerging in Japan. There continues to be a need to cal government agencies and private-sector employ-
raise awareness among educators and those that sup- ers should incorporate as they develop their own im-
port students with disabilities about this concept, and plementation guidelines. (Private-sector employers
how it can be effectively translated into disability are mandated not to discriminate on the grounds of
services policy and practice. To this end, the MEXT disability; however, they are not obliged to provide
Higher Education Bureau convened a committee of reasonable accommodations.) Measures include de-
15 experts in 2012 and tasked them with developing veloping barrier-free environments, creating systems
a future framework for higher education disabili- for dispute resolution and consultation, and con-
64 Boeltzig-Brown; Higher Education in Japan
ducting professional development activities (such as ed to increase the number of university students with
staff training, information dissemination, and aware- disabilities in Japan, thereby expanding the labor pool
ness-raising). National and local government agen- of individuals with disabilities. This is particularly
cies and private-sector employers must develop their relevant for companies that must meet the mandato-
own guidelines by April 1, 2016. ry disability employment quota (explained below).
To this end, MEXT convened a second expert Private-sector companies in particular have found it
committee in April 2015 to provide input on the difficult to fill their quota of jobs with qualified indi-
development of guidelines for implementing the viduals with disabilities, partly because of the small
new law in all of the sectors that MEXT oversees, number of students with disabilities graduating with
including higher education. Published in December university degrees.
2015, the MEXT guidelines document outlines dis- Established under the 1960 Disabled Persons Em-
ability discrimination (Article 2) and the provision ployment Promotion Law, as amended in June 2014
of reasonable accommodations (Article 3). Article 4 (Law No. 69), the quota-levy system requires pub-
addresses the main responsibilities of personnel in lic-sector and private-sector employers to fill a cer-
charge of promoting disability antidiscrimination, in- tain percentage of their positions with people with
cluding: (a) providing guidance and awareness-rais- disabilities. Private-sector employers who fail to
ing, (b) dealing with complaints, and (c) overseeing meet the quota must pay a penalty or “levy.” In April
the provision of reasonable accommodations. Article 2013, the Japanese government raised the quota for
5 is about taking disciplinary action against person- private-sector employers from 1.8% to 2.0%, and for
nel who commit acts of disability discrimination or public-sector employers from 2.1% to 2.3% (Minis-
fail to provide reasonable accommodations to persons try of Health, Labour, and Welfare [MHLW], 2012a).
with disabilities. Article 6 outlines the development The quota for prefectural and municipal boards of
of a consultation system for persons with disabilities education was also raised, from 2.0% to 2.2%. The
and other stakeholders, and Article 7 recommends the quota has helped to increase employment opportuni-
provision of training and awareness-raising to all per- ties for people with disabilities (MHLW, 2012b), al-
sonnel (MEXT, 2015a). though the rate has not reached the stipulated 2.0% in
Additionally, MEXT has tasked the Japan Asso- the private sector, with less than half of private-sector
ciation of National Universities (JANU) with devel- employers meeting the quota (Japan Organization for
oping model policies and procedures for disability Employment of the Elderly, Persons with Disabilities,
services provision at national universities. In 2015, and Job Seekers [JEED], 2011; MHLW, 2012c).
JANU published a guidelines template for national
universities to promote disability antidiscrimination Disability and the Higher Education System
on university campuses (JANU, 2015). The guide- Funding for disability services and supports.
lines template is very similar to the MEXT guide- The Japanese government subsidizes national and
lines, and provides additional detail. Article 4 is about private universities; subsidies also cover disabili-
the development of a personnel system to address ty-related services and supports. National and private
disability discrimination, and the roles and respon- universities differ with respect to how the subsidies
sibilities of personnel, including university leader- are paid. In Fiscal Year (FY) 2015, MEXT’s gener-
ship, department heads, and personnel in charge of al budget for education, culture, sports, science, and
disability antidiscrimination. Articles 8 and 9 outline technology was ¥5,338 billion (about $43 billion)
the development of a consultation system and a dis- (MEXT, 2015b). The operating budget for national
pute resolution system for students with disabilities, universities was ¥1,101 billion (about $9 billion), or
their families, and other stakeholders. JANU sent the 20.6% of the MEXT’s general budget. The operating
guidelines template along with a cover letter and ref- budget for national universities includes several cat-
erence materials (lists of examples of discriminatory egories, one being “special operating budget,” from
treatment and of reasonable accommodations) to all which universities can draw funds to cover disabil-
national universities, with a request to use this tem- ity-related services and supports. Although figures
plate for developing their own guidelines. are available on the amount of funding each national
By mandating equal access to higher education, university receives from the government, information
the new disability antidiscrimination law is expect- on how these funds are used, particularly with respect
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(1) 65
to disability, are hard to come by. According to key equipment / assistive technology, accommodations
informant sources, national universities are not re- for the application / admissions process, activities to
quired to report on the use of funds for disability ser- educate faculty and staff about accommodations and
vices and supports, which limits the government’s supports for students with disabilities, and activities
ability to ensure that funds are used effectively, effi- to build the capacity of disability services personnel
ciently, and appropriately. and other support providers.
Since 2013, MEXT has made available additional The third type of subsidy covers the costs for in-
funding for national universities to build their disabil- formation and communication technology (ICT) and
ity services capacity in response to a recommendation related supports used for teaching, research, and oth-
made by the first MEXT expert committee (2012a) er, similar activities. ¥200,000 (about $1,600) is ear-
that IHEs should set up a disability services office marked for each type of technology-related support.
(S. Yusuke, MEXT, personal communication, July Types of technology include learning management
15, 2015). All national universities can apply for this systems and distance education; the subsidy can also
funding; successful institutions are selected on a com- be used to improve academic content delivered via
petitive basis and receive approximately ¥9,000,000 ICT. Details on how institutions use the subsidies are
(about $73,000) per institution. As of July 2015, 25 difficult to access.
out of the 86 national universities received this spe- Disability-Related government structures for
cial funding: six were funded in 2013, 12 in 2014, students in higher education. The Japan Student
and seven in 2015. National universities typically use Services Organization (JASSO) is a semi-govern-
the funding to establish (part-time) disability services mental agency under the MEXT Higher Education
coordinator positions for which they recruit existing Bureau, Student Support and Exchange Division,
faculty who are involved in disability services pro- that specifically focuses on student support. JASSO
vision (S. Yusuke, MEXT, personal communication, administers several MEXT programs, including a
July 15, 2015). scholarship loan program, support programs for in-
The Japanese government not only subsidizes na- ternational students, and other student support pro-
tional but also private universities; subsidies are paid grams, including supports for students with disabili-
through a so-called “Promotion and Mutual Aid Cor- ties (JASSO, 2014-2015).
poration for Private Schools in Japan” out of MEXT’s Within JASSO, the Student Services Department,
general budget. In FY2015, subsidies for private uni- Support for Students with Disabilities Division dis-
versities amounted to ¥315 billion (about $2.5 billion) seminates disability-related information, such as
and included disability-related supports and services guides for supporting students with disabilities target-
(MEXT, 2015b). ed at faculty and staff involved in disability services
There are three major disability subsidies (Promo- provision (e.g., JASSO, 2014). This division also
tion and Mutual Aid Corporation for Private Schools maintains an online database of practice cases relat-
in Japan, 2015), described briefly below. These sub- ed to student disability supports by type of disabil-
sidies are calculated through a complex process; the ity (JASSO, 2015b). Additionally, JASSO arranges
discussion that follows offers only a basic overview. training and professional development opportunities
The first subsidy type is intended to cover individ- for IHE personnel involved in the provision of student
ual-level, academic supports for students with quali- disability services, student career services, and stu-
fying disabilities. Those disabilities include visual im- dent counseling and mental health services. JASSO
pairments, hearing impairments, physical disabilities, surveys all four-year universities, two-year colleges,
developmental disabilities, and other types of disabil- and technical colleges in Japan annually about dis-
ities for which students receive accommodations. The ability and related issues and makes the survey results
subsidy amount is ¥1,600,000 (about $13,000) per available on its website.
student for one academic year. Training and professional development for fac-
The second type of subsidy is for institutional-lev- ulty and staff involved in disability services provi-
el disability supports. There are eight types of sup- sion at Japanese IHEs is centralized through JASSO.
ports, each receiving ¥400,000 (about $3,300). These Following is a brief description of JASSO’s training
include, for example, counselor staffing / allocation, and professional development activities. In FY2014,
classroom supports, improvements to facilities and JASSO in collaboration with Tohoku University and
66 Boeltzig-Brown; Higher Education in Japan
Hokkaido University, provided two seminars on how network of universities called the “Learning Support
to develop a system for student disability services at Network for Students with Disabilities” that are to
IHEs (JASSO, n.d.). These seminars were primarily function as centers of disability expertise, providing
targeted at managers and staff in charge of disability training and consultation to other IHEs in their region.
services provision, with a total of 286 individuals at- Established in 2006, the network consists of nine re-
tending these events. gional centers and three affiliated partners. The nine
Seven more specialized seminars, targeting the regional centers are all based at national and private
same audience, addressed topics such as providing universities: Sapporo Gakuin University, Miyagi
reasonable accommodations in higher education; University of Education, University of Tsukuba,
building disability services capacity; promoting University of Toyama, Nihon Fukushi University,
self-awareness and social participation among stu- Doshisha University, Kwansei Gakuin University,
dents with developmental disabilities; supporting Hiroshima University, and Fukuoka University. The
students with disabilities in career development; part- three affiliated partners include the National Tsuku-
nering with agencies, organizations, and employers ba University of Technology (NTUT), the Nation-
to support the employment of students with develop- al Institute of Special Needs Education (NISE, a
mental disabilities; and promoting accessible design semi-governmental agency under MEXT), and the
and resource sharing to support students with disabil- National Rehabilitation Center for Persons with
ities (JASSO, n.d.). These seminars were provided in Disabilities, which is part of the National Institute
conjunction with other universities. They were held of Vocational Rehabilitation (NIVR, a semi-govern-
across Japan, with an average of 100 individuals par- mental agency under MHLW).
ticipating in each seminar. Regional centers vary greatly in their ability to
In addition to these seminars, JASSO provides provide training and consultation, in part, because
basic and advanced training to faculty and staff di- JASSO does not provide funding to conduct these ac-
rectly involved in disability services provision (JAS- tivities. Training and consultation typically take the
SO, n.d.). Each training is provided twice a year in form of center faculty serving as instructors for JAS-
Tokyo and Osaka (a total of four times), lasts two SO seminars and workshops. In the past, JASSO has
days, and consists of lectures and follow-up exercis- commissioned regional centers to conduct research
es for participants to deepen their understanding of on specific issues in disability and higher education;
the issues addressed in the lectures. Participation is however, there is currently limited funding to support
limited to 200 individuals per basic training session these types of activities (S. Yamada, JASSO, person-
and 80 participants per advanced training session. al communication, July 16, 2015). The overall lack
The number of applications for basic training has of financial support for regional centers has been an
consistently been exceeding the number of training impediment to supporting IHEs regionally and to
placements, indicating a high demand for this type building the overall capacity of the Learning Support
of training (S. Yamada, JASSO, personal communi- Network to influence disability policy and practice in
cation, July 16, 2015). higher education.
Basic and advanced training is complemented by Since 2014, MEXT has been promoting intern-
more hands-on workshops. For example, in FY2014, ships with industry as a way to improve employment
JASSO provided one workshop on supporting stu- skills and opportunities for university students, in-
dents with developmental disabilities, which was held cluding students with disabilities (MEXT, 2014b).
in Tokyo and attended by 161 individuals (JASSO, The goal is to develop a system of higher education
n.d.). In addition to disability support, JASSO has that meets current and future industry labor needs.
been incorporating a disability focus into training and This effort is part of the “Japan Revitalization Strate-
professional development for student career services gy JAPAN IS BACK” that the Japanese government
personnel. For example, the “National Career and Job announced in June 2013 and that consists of a set of
Placement Guidance Meeting” held in 2014 included structural reforms (including university reforms) to
a session dedicated to career and job placement sup- improve economic growth and the competitiveness of
port for students with disabilities (JASSO, n.d.). the Japanese economy.
In addition to disability-related training and pro- To this end, JASSO is implementing a range of
fessional development, JASSO administers a regional efforts (JASSO, 2014–2015); it set up a special com-
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(1) 67
mittee for the promotion of internships that consists Universities and colleges use a variety of sources
of representatives from universities, major eco- for collecting student disability information, which
nomic organizations, and experts in the field. The they then report in aggregated format to JASSO (M.
committee is tasked with evaluating and advising Enomoto, JASSO, personal communication, August
so-called “Regional Internship Promotion Organiza- 10, 2015). Sources include requests made by students
tions.” These are regional networks of universities, or their guardians for accommodations (for entrance
local governments, economic and non-profit organi- examinations, courses, etc.), medical examination of
zations, and other entities that strategically promote students at entrance to university or college, student
and facilitate student internship initiatives in their consultations with the university or college health
region. As of FY2014, there were 11 collaborations center, students reporting a disability on their univer-
involving 113 universities. sity or college application, and reports by teaching
In addition to the special committee, JASSO pro- staff on students’ disabilities. Generally, students do
vides training to university faculty and staff involved not have to report to the university or college that they
in internship efforts. It also conducts surveys on in- have a disability unless they need accommodations. If
ternship initiatives run by universities, and on the they do need support, then they have to provide doc-
number of students, including students with disabil- umented evidence of their disability in the form of a
ities, who participate in these internships. disability certificate, medical records, etc.
JASSO data also indicate that universities and
Representation of Students with Disabilities in colleges vary greatly with respect to the number of
Higher Education students with disabilities enrolled, from no students
As is the case in the US, people with disabili- (352 out of 1,185 institutions) to more than 21 stu-
ties access higher education in Japan at significantly dents enrolled (173 institutions; JASSO, 2015a). Ta-
lower rates compared to those without disabilities. In ble 1 provides a summary of the data. About 70%
2014, students with disabilities made up 0.44% (or of all surveyed IHEs (833) reported having at least
14,127) of all students in higher education (JASSO, one student with a disability. The largest number of
2015a). Figures are based on a national survey of IHEs (222) reported between two and five students
IHEs conducted annually by JASSO. A total of 1,185 with disabilities.
IHEs responded to the 2014 survey (100% response In terms of type of disability, about 39% of all
rate), including 780 four-year universities, 348 two- students with disabilities enrolled in IHEs in 2014
year colleges, and 57 technical colleges. The number had health issues or physical disabilities, decreasing
of students with disabilities enrolled in IHEs, particu- from about 53% percent in 2006 (JASSO, 2015a,
larly those with mental health disabilities and autism, 2007). Table 2 provides a summary of the data. Stu-
has almost trebled since 2006, when it was 4,937 dents with “other” disabilities / diseases, including
(JASSO, 2007). Kondo, Takahashi, and Shirasawa those with mental health disabilities, are a growing
(2015) suggest that: population, almost tripling between 2006 and 2014.
In fact, students with mental health disabilities ac-
the increased enrollment of students with ‘in- counted for about 20% of all students with disabil-
visible disabilities’ may mean simply that social ities in 2014, making it the second largest group of
awareness of such disabilities, which has pro- students with disabilities. Students with develop-
gressed across recent years, has helped in detect- mental disabilities increased in representation more
ing the presence of these students through various than seven times between 2006 and 2014. Of those,
student services (e.g., counseling and health ser- students with autism accounted for about 14% of all
vices). In other words, this population might have students with disabilities in 2014, increasing from
already been on campus, and thus may not have about 2% in 2006. Students with hearing and speech
actually increased. (p. 423) impairments, and those with visual impairments,
represented about 12% and 5%, respectively, of all
Even if the number of students with disabilities at uni- students with disabilities in 2014.
versities has held steady over time, the increase in dis- Although the number of students with disabilities
closure and acknowledgement of invisible disabilities has almost trebled since 2006, people with disabilities
is a trend that will continue to build. continue to experience substantial barriers to access-
68 Boeltzig-Brown; Higher Education in Japan
ing higher education. In 2012, the Tokyo Foundation services provision, and about 18% (219 institutions)
published a report on disability in higher education have policies and procedures that guide the provision
in Japan. The report identified three systemic barri- of student disability services.
ers to accessing higher education for individuals with A 2011 JASSO survey of 914 IHEs provides more
disabilities: (1) lack of information on the types of detail on the types of departments or structures that
supports available at IHEs, (2) lack of coordination IHEs use for disability services provision (JASSO,
between higher education institutions on one side and 2012). The most frequently reported structure was
high schools and potential employers on the other generic administrative offices (reported by 51.4%, or
side, and (3) reluctance on the part of IHEs to shoul- 470 out of 914 IHEs), followed by offices for student
der the costs of accommodating students with disabil- services (24.9% or 228), health care centers (17.4%
ities (Tokyo Foundation, 2012). or 159), special committees for supporting students
Kondo (2015) suggests that support for students with disabilities (7.4% or 68), and disability services
with disabilities at Japanese IHEs with dedicated offices (5.9% or 54).
disability services offices has improved over the last These results are consistent with Kondo’s obser-
years, that faculty and staff involved in disability vations (2015) that “the need for dedicated disabil-
services provision at these institutions are becoming ity services offices has not been well recognized by
more knowledgeable about and adept in supporting Japanese IHEs” (section 2, para. 3). Indeed, the per-
students with different types of disabilities, and that centage of universities and colleges with dedicated
efforts are made to provide students with information student disability services departments, centers, or of-
and guidance to help them access disability supports fices has not significantly increased since the report by
at their institution. The latter effort in particular, Kon- the MEXT Committee (2012a), which recommended
do argues, is an indication of that IHEs create such structures and also make public
their numbers of students with disabilities.
the existence [of] broadly accumulated know- In terms of staffing for disability services provi-
how for supporting students with disabilities at sion, a majority of IHEs (84%, or 995 out of 1,185)
Japanese IHEs …[but this] know-how has not only use part-time staff to provide supports to students
been based on the concepts of reasonable accom- with disabilities (JASSO, 2015a). About 11% (125
modation which should be offered in all institu- institutions) use a combination of full-time and part-
tions from the viewpoint of antidiscrimination time staff. Table 4 provides a summary of the data.
and therefore based on good practices in some ad- In addition to internal staff, about 42% (493 institu-
vanced universities.” (section 3.4., para. 1 and 2) tions) also involve external staff, mostly counselors,
doctors, and technology specialists, in some aspect of
IHE Infrastructure and Capacity for Disability disability services provision at their institution. The
and Career Services Provision for Students with use of students (“peer tutors”) to assist with the pro-
Disabilities vision of disability services and supports is addressed
Disability services. JASSO data suggest that dis- in the paper later.
ability services tend to be provided by administrative, A little less than two thirds of the IHEs surveyed
teaching, and counseling staff who work part-time, by JASSO (775 out of 1,185) reported implementing
in addition to students, and that most IHEs do not one or more activities to build institutional capacity
have any policies and procedures that guide disability to support students with disabilities, or assisting oth-
services provision (JASSO, 2015a). This situation is er institutions in this effort (JASSO, 2015a). Table 5
compounded by a lack of training and qualifications provides a summary of the data. The most frequently
for personnel who provide disability services (Aoki, reported activities were consultations and round-ta-
2007; PEPNet-Japan, 2012). ble meetings for students with disabilities and support
As summarized in Table 3, a majority of IHEs staff, provision of career services and related support
(80% or 943 out of 1,185) assign the responsibility to students with disabilities, and provision of training
for disability services provision to existing university on disability issues to faculty and staff at other uni-
and college departments such as student affairs (JAS- versities and colleges.
SO, 2015a). Only about 10% (120 institutions) have Little is known about the professional back-
a department, center, or office dedicated to disability grounds and expertise of the faculty and staff involved
Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 30(1) 69
in student disability services provision. Japan only vices office, 807 (95.7%) reported providing employ-
recently (October 2014) established a professional ment support to students with disabilities (JASSO,
organization dedicated to cross-disability issues and 2012). Eighty-one of those 807 institutions (10.0%)
higher education. This organization is called “Associ- had career services staff specifically dedicated to
ation on Higher Education and Disability (AHEAD) students with disabilities. 112 out of 843 institutions
JAPAN” (http://ahead-japan.org/), a partner organiza- (13.3%) collaborated with their disability services of-
tion of AHEAD in the US. fice, and more than half (428 or 50.8%) used faculty
AHEAD JAPAN’s mission is to improve supports advisors to assist students with disabilities to pre-
for students with disabilities by organizing confer- pare for careers. Only a small number of IHEs (65 or
ences that address disability service delivery prac- 7.7%) reported that employment support for students
tice and research; providing information, resources, with disabilities was the sole responsibility of the dis-
training, and professional development on disability ability services office.
issues; promoting and facilitating shared learning and In addition to internal resources, about 40% of
collaboration among Japanese IHEs related to disabil- universities and colleges (378 out of 914) reported
ity services provision; and promoting, conducting, collaborating with external agencies and organiza-
and publishing research that can inform disability tions regarding career and employment support for
service delivery practice. Fifty-two universities have students with disabilities, such as public employment
joined AHEAD JAPAN; the organization held its first services centers (the equivalent of One-Stop Career
annual conference in June 2015. Centers in the US; 331 institutions), local vocational
In addition to AHEAD JAPAN, PEPNet-Japan centers for persons with disabilities (the equivalent of
(http://www.pepnet-j.org) is a collaboration of 22 uni- state vocational rehabilitation agencies in the US; 67
versities and nine colleges to support students with institutions), support centers for persons with devel-
hearing impairments, as well as faculty and staff in- opmental disabilities (45); support centers for persons
cluding disability services personnel, by providing with sensory (visual or hearing) impairments (13),
training, consultation, and resources. The organiza- vocational training centers (4), and other entities (85).
tion was established in October 2004 and is modeled Furthermore, IHEs provide a range of employ-
after PEPNet in the US (http://www.pepnet.org). In ment-related services and supports to students, in-
2013, PEPNet-Japan received the “Prime Minister cluding students with disabilities, as summarized in
Award” from the Japanese government for its dedi- Table 6. However, less than a quarter of institutions
cated efforts to promote “barrier-free” and “universal (17.0%, or 155 out of 914) reported that students with
design” practices in Japanese society (Japanese Cab- disabilities participate in internships, which is surpris-
inet Office, 2014). ing given MEXT’s increasing emphasis on this type
Career services. In contrast to the low number of of work experience. Even fewer institutions (9.7%, or
IHEs with dedicated disability services offices, JAS- 89 out of 914) reported that they follow up with grad-
SO data suggest that a majority of institutions in Ja- uates with disabilities who have found jobs through
pan (92.2%, or 843 out of 914) have a career services personal meetings, site visits, or similar methods
office (JASSO, 2012). Figures are based on a nation- (JASSO, 2012).
al survey of IHEs conducted by JASSO in 2011 that Universities and colleges continue to face barriers
addressed disability and employment supports for to assisting students with disabilities in finding jobs,
students with disabilities. A total of 914 out of 1,202 as detailed in Table 7. These challenges mostly relate
institutions responded to the survey (76%), including to lack of staff capacity, but also include issues that
589 universities, 273 colleges, and 52 technical col- concern the students themselves. The top three chal-
leges. A more recent MEXT report estimates the per- lenges were lack of staff knowledge and experience
cent of IHEs that have a career services office to be related to employment support for students with dis-
97% (MEXT, 2013). abilities, lack of methods for employment support ap-
JASSO data indicate that most of these career propriate for students with particular disabilities, and
centers assume the responsibility for career develop- lack of ability on the part of students to take action
ment and employment support for students with dis- (JASSO, 2012).
abilities, and that some also involve their disability
services office. Of the 843 IHEs that had a career ser-
70 Boeltzig-Brown; Higher Education in Japan
Provision of Accommodations at IHEs eating, toileting, moving about, etc.) in cases where
JASSO data show that more than half of all stu- local government does not provide this kind of assis-
dents with disabilities (7,482 out of 14,127) enrolled tance (Kondo, Takahashi, & Shirasawa, 2015).
in higher education in Japan in 2014 had requested Tutors are often part of the support team created
accommodations and received them (JASSO, 2015a). for individual students with disabilities; students with
Little is known about the situation of the remaining disabilities are encouraged to manage their teams and
6,645 students with disabilities, for example, their supports, and to also help train peer tutors. Peer stu-
needs for support (if any), efforts to request such sup- dents are usually trained prior to starting work as a tu-
port, and success in receiving support. tor, and are paid for their work by the university. Lit-
Japanese IHEs vary greatly with respect to the tle is known about the disability status of peer tutors.
number of students with disabilities they accommo- At the University of Tsukuba’s Office for Students
date, from no students (40.9%, or 485 out of 1,185 with Disabilities (OSD), peer tutors are a key feature
institutions) to more than 21 students (6.8% or 81 in- of disability services provision (University of Tsuku-
stitutions). Table 8 provides a summary of the data. ba, 2015). The office developed a peer tutor curricu-
About 60% of all surveyed IHEs (700) reported ac- lum that is offered in the form of regular classes for
commodating at least one student with a disability. which students can get credits. Advanced training and
The largest number of institutions (411) reported be- study groups are offered to more experienced peer
tween one and five students with disabilities receiv- tutors. Once students have completed the basic peer
ing accommodations. tutor training, they are assigned to one of three pro-
The types of accommodations that institutions grams that support students with physical disabilities
provide generally fall into three categories: test-tak- and chronic illnesses, students with visual impair-
ing accommodations (such as extended time, readers, ments, or students with hearing impairments. (There
assistive technology); classroom accommodations is also a support program for students with develop-
(such as note-taking assistance, audio-recorded lec- mental disabilities, but without assigned peer tutors.)
tures, alternate format texts, communication services, As of 2013, OSD employed a total of 260 peer
preferential seating, enlarged font study materials); tutors serving 70 students with disabilities: 50 tu-
and other types of accommodations (such as guides, tors supported students with physical disabilities and
tutors / teaching assistance). chronic illnesses, 50 assisted students with visual
Japanese IHEs use a combination of faculty, stu- impairments, and 160 provided supports to students
dents, and external staff to provide these accommo- with hearing impairment (University of Tsukuba,
dations. Students with physical disabilities and those 2015). The 260 peer tutors complemented OSD staff
with hearing and speech impairments most common- consisting of five administrative staff (including the
ly receive supports from their peers; in the case of OSD director and assistant director); one medical
students with visual impairment, it is mostly faculty doctor from the university’s health center and 13 fac-
who provide accommodations (JASSO, 2015a). ulty specializing in “disability science” were also af-
The use of students (“peer tutors”) to provide dis- filiated with OSD. Peer tutors who have provided 15+
ability services by some IHEs is an interesting feature hours of disability support or 30+ hours of managing
of their service structure. About 10% of institutions a support team receive a certificate.
(89 out of 914) reported having a peer tutor system
in 2010, and 80 of those had a training program for Students with Disabilities, Rates of Graduation,
their peer tutors (JASSO, 2012). Students can volun- and Employment Outcomes
teer to become a peer tutor. Peer tutors assist in many As is the case in the US, Japanese students with
different ways: preparing teaching materials in alter- disabilities graduate from university or college and
native formats; providing reading and note-taking find employment after graduation at lower rates com-
assistance, speech-to-text transcription, and sign lan- pared to students without disabilities. JASSO data in-
guage interpretation; and serving as walking guides. dicate that about three quarters (2,122) of the 2,885
Note that in Japan, personal assistance is sometimes students surveyed in their final year at university or
considered to be part of academic accommodations. college graduated in 2014 (graduation rate of 74%)
Japanese universities may provide personal services (JASSO, 2015a). Students with sensory impairments
to students with disabilities (such as assistance with (visual, hearing, and speech impairments) are more