Starting in April 2024, Japan will mandate that companies offer essential services and infrastructure to support individuals with disabilities. This decree will involve implementing features like having sloped access points for wheelchairs, ensuring information accessibility, and making necessary modifications to ensure equal access to educational opportunities. The Act for Eliminating Discrimination against Persons with Disabilities was amended in May 2021. It will apply to all public organizations, private companies, and even higher education institutions, requiring these entities to provide reasonable accommodation if an individual with a disability makes a specific request. The Japan Student Services Organization (JASSO) has reported a steady increase in the number of students with disabilities (SWDs) that are enrolled in tertiary institutions each year, with data from 2022 revealing that approximately 1.53% of the total student population to be SWDs while in 2006, it was listed at 0.16%. In light of this shifting paradigm, language educators and program administrators at Japanese tertiary institutions will continue to face the challenge of providing tailored support systems for these students. This paper aims to provide language practitioners—especially those in an administrative role—with a practical framework for effectively accommodating students with disabilities to meet their specific needs and provide guidance to the instructors in charge of service learning. It will explore the concept of reasonable accommodation regarding legal obligations and highlight critical areas that must be addressed to ensure adequate support to create an inclusive and accessible learning environment.

Authors:
Mikio Brooks, Asia University, Japan

About the Presenter(s)
Mikio Brooks is an Associate Professor at Asia University in Tokyo, Japan. His research interests include English for Specific Purposes, Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition, and the Relationship of Language and Identity.

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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