Support for Members with Disabilities
Introduction

Students with disabilities have been studying at our university since
before it was incorporated into a public university. In addition toproviding the necessary support to students with disabilities, weregularly hold various courses on disabilities and support andactively endeavor to develop the support staff and raise awarenessfor support.
To expand this effort to the entire university, we positioned
support for members with disabilities as part of a diversity
promotion project in 2011. In April 2014, we launched the“Tokyo Metropolitan University Support System for Studentswith Disabilities” (currently the “Tokyo Metropolitan University
Support Staff System for Members with Disabilities”). In April
2016, in enforcing the “Act for Eliminating Discrimination against
Persons with Disabilities,” we introduced guidelines for theteaching staff on the promotion of elimination of discrimination
against persons with disabilities at Tokyo Metropolitan Universityand developed a support system for Members with disabilities.
In recent years, we have been improving the necessary support
equipment and training support personnel to accommodate theenrollment of Students with visual impairment and deaf or hard-ofhearing students. Furthermore, regular meetings and study sessions
are held to promote interactions between students with disabilities
and the support staff to improve the latter’s support skills andenhance communication. Students with disabilities receive support
and perform various roles, such as lecturing at study sessions andworking with the support staff, helping to raise awareness about andunderstanding of this program.

From Application to Admission

Support for persons with disabilities begins even before
enrollment. For example, if you need any consideration during theNational Center Test for university admissions or TokyoMetropolitan University (TMU) entrance examination, please consult
the Admissions Office in advance.
Once students have passed the entrance examination, wewill meet with them and, if necessary, their parents to discuss theconsiderations and support needed. Students who request support
through the Support Staff System for Members with Disabilities
must submit an application form coordinated by the Diversity
Promotion Office.
Support is typically provided by the support staff throughout asemester, but one can also apply for it mid- semester.

Post-admission Disabilities

Changes in a student’s circumstances that cause the disability
may require consideration and assistance after enrollment. In suchcases, please consult the university staff or Diversity Promotion
Office. We will work with all applicable university organizations
to provide the support required.

Eligibility for Support

Support is provided to members with disabilities and to
those who have on an ongoing basis, a disability or social
barrier that substantially limits their university life.

Support Staff

Support under this system is provided by support staff enrolled
and registered at TMU. Support activities are conducted on a paid
volunteer basis, and support staff members are trained as necessary.
The Diversity Promotion Office will dispatch the support staff.

Workshops

We hold seminars and workshops on a wide range of disabilities
and support, including for deaf or hard-of-hearing (sign language,captioning service, etc.), visually impaired (braille, on-campus
mobility support, etc.), and physically impaired (wheelchair use,on-campus mobility support, etc.).

Support Management

We promote communication in support activities throughregular meetings between support staff and students withdisabilities, as well as semesterly review meetings.

Personal Information Management

Personal information obtained concerning this system’s use isproperly managed per TMU’s regulations.

Examples of Support
Captioning Service (handwritten/computer) for Deaf and Hardof-hearing Individuals
Also known as “summary transcription,” this support involves
summarizing and converting audio information such as lectures
into written information. It is done by hand or computer andperformed by two support staff (transcribers) working together.

Library Services for the Blind

This support involves reading books and other printed materials
aloud. Illustrations such as diagrams, tables, and images that are
difficult to convert into text data are also explained orally for better
understanding. Rooms for Library services for the blind are available
in the Diversity Promotion Office.

Accompanying in the Classroom

For visually impaired and physically impaired
The accompanying staff receives and submits materials, writes
attendance and reaction papers, note-taking on the board on theirbehalf, and explains visual information such as video content.

Conversion of Class Materials into Text Data

For the visually impaired
This support involves converting paper information into text
data for reading aloud using text-to-speech software; specifically,
PDF documents that do not contain text information cannot beread aloud using this software and must be converted into text
data.

Support for On-Campus Moving between Classrooms

For the visually and physically impaired
If a member has difficulty walking independently or moving
between classrooms, the necessary assistance will be considered.

Experimental and Practical AssistanceFor visually and physically impaired
If students struggle with experimental work, support staff willassist them in working on experiments and practical training.

Support for Living on Campus

Life on campus outside class hours is diverse, as are situations
where assistance is anticipated. Please contact us to discuss thesupport required.

Support Equipment

Braille displays, braille printers, wheelchairs, computers for
captioning service, and extension cords are available. Pleasecontact us for any other equipment required.

Support that Requires Requests to Related Agencies andOrganizations

Support that requires a high level of specialized skills, such as
braille, translation of braille to the commonly used written word,and sign language interpretation, will require the support ofrelated agencies or organizations.
Please consult us.

Maintenance of the Environment and Barrier Checks onCampus

We work to improve the soft aspects of the environment, such as
raising awareness about and understanding disabilities and creating
barrier-free maps, as well as hard aspects, such as eliminating
physical barriers.

Other

Support needs are highly individualized and require avariety of initiatives. We will work on other necessary formsof support in addition to the above.