Current Practices of Providing Reasonable
Accommodation for Disabled Students inJapanese Higher Education, with a focus on
Ritsumeikan University(RU)
SAKAI HARUNA
COORDINATOR, DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER,
OFFICE OF STUDENT AFFAIRS AT KINUGASA CAMPUS, RITSUMEIKAN UNIVERSITY

Enforcement of the Disability Discrimination Act andsupport for disabled students in higher education institutions
 The Disability Discrimination Act was passed in 2016.

 Under the act, Discrimination against persons with disabilities is prohibitedat both public and private universities. Providing reasonableaccommodation is a must for national universities, and private universities
have a duty to make efforts towards it. However, private universities needreasonable accommodation in the same way as national universities.

⇒Securing learning opportunities in higher education

under the Disability Discrimination Act has changed from"good will" to "following the law."

Changes in the number of students withdisabilities (SWDs) in Japanese highereducation (2006-2018)
Number of students with disabilities(SWD)
in higher education in Japan The number ofSWD in 2018 is
33,812 (1.05%)

40000

1.20%
0.98%

35000
0.86%

30000

 The number ofSWD has been on
the rise since thesurvey started in2006.
【2019,JASSO】

25000

0.68% 27256

20000

21703

15000
10000
5000

0.16% 0.17%

0.20% 0.22%

6325 7103
4957 5404

0.27%
8810

0.32%

10236

0.37%

11768

0.42% 0.44%

1.05%
33812

31204

13449 14127

1.00%
0.80%
0.60%
0.40%
0.20%

00.00%
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Number of SWD%

Disability Type of SWD (33,812) enrolled
at Japanese universities in 2018
As a share by disability type,11,151 people (34%) have alarge number of health issues /poor health, followed by 8,770
psychosocial disabilities (26%).
And, in order of developmental
disabilities: physical disabilities,
hearing and speech impairment,and visual impairment.
【2019,JASSO】

hearing andspeech
impairment
6%
other disability
6%visualimpairment
3%

DISABILITY TYPE
Health issues /poor health,34%

physicaldisability
7%

development
al disability
18%

psychosocial
disabilitiy
26%

About Ritsumeikan University (RU) Established in 1892. Private university.
 Four Campuses (Suzaku and Kinugasa inKyoto, BKC in Shiga, OIC in Osaka)

A total of 35,120 students in 16 collegesand 20 graduate schools.

History of establishment-Disability Resource Center at RU Formed a ”Committee to consider the support system of Ritsumeikan
University SWD” in 2001, triggered by the voice of SWD.
Enrollment of students requisitioning support in 2004. Formation of thegroup "Support.net" to support this student by students. And, thevolunteer center started coordinating support for SWD.
At the 2005 university-wide conference, it is decided to establisheda Disability Resource Center (DRC).

The DRC was established in the Division of Academic Affairs
in June 2006.

The process of reforming the DRC at RU
2009－2010 Constructing a “Comprehensive Student Support System”

became one of pillar goals of the RU Academy Vision R2020.
As the first stage of “Constructing a Comprehensive Student Support System,
the Special Needs Student Support Room (SNS) was established inside of theOffice of Student Affairs in 2011, aiming to provide support for students withvarious needs including developmental disabilities.
Along with the enactment of the Japanese Law for the Elimination ofDisability Discrimination in 2016, the DRC was transferred from theAcademic Affairs Division to the Student Affairs Division and integrated withthe SNS.

A new (Reformed) Disability Resource Center (DRC) wasestablished in 2016, following the mission of the 2nd stage of“Constructing a Comprehensive Student Support System”

Ritsumeikan University Policy
on Support for Student with Disabilities
Our Core Values
Ritsumeikan University is committed to creating an inclusive environment that
supports students with disabilities through the following three policies:◆Provide students with disabilities the support needed to ensure an equal
opportunity to receive quality education.
◆Contribute to the learning and development of all students through the provisionof support for with disabilities.
◆Aim to enhance the university‘s educational competency by bringing anawareness to faculty and staff regarding support for students with disabilities.

Ritsumeikan University Policy
on Support for Student with Disabilities
Our Objectives
We aim for all students to develop the following three skills through our support:◆Self-Awareness:
We will foster students’ self-awareness of what they can, what they are good at, and what they canachieve with a little ingenuity and support.
◆Self-Advocacy
We will foster students’ ability to verbalize their own goals, hopes, weaknesses and needs, to consult andrequest support, and to select resources and support for them.

◆Self-Management
We will foster students’ ability to design their own support plan and network, utilizing various on and off
campus resources in order to solve problems and achieve goals.

Current role and function of the DRC within
the Comprehensive Student Support System

Provision of reasonable accommodation
after the enforcement of the Eliminationof Disability Discrimination Act
To be eligible for academic accommodation, students are requested to submit an application form withwritten consent and evidenced documents (e.g., a copy of a disability certificate or a medicalcertificate).
The decisions of reasonable accommodation are made based on dialogue and forming consensus
between SWD and the university through adjusting the needs of the students and the academic policies.
Examples of academic accommodations;
Providing an academic accommodation letter to the facultyTraining for student support staff (part time employment) and providing services of student support
staff to SWD.

・Information accessibility services in classes (e.g., PC note-taking)・Physical accessibility services between buildings (e.g., wheelchair user)・Services for converting paper-based materials into digital test dataServices for renting support equipment (e.g., wheelchairs, magnifier tools for reading, PCs with voice
reading software)※The accommodations for final exams are provided by individual colleges/departments

Other DRC supports and services
Following support and services are provided for an inclusive learning environment:
Regular consultation.

Collaborative support with staff and faculty of a college/department/section.

Transitional support（e.g., consultation before admission, collaborative support withaffiliated high schools, individual consultation during open campus events.）

Making referrals for off-campus resources related to support (e.g., disability
equipment services, disability-related events).



Career support (e.g., making referrals to or collaborative support with employment
support organizations).



Surveying and taking requests regarding barrier-free promotion on campus

Promoting countermeasures for disaster for SWD.



Providing training and seminars on and off campus in order to enhance the inclusive
environment for SWD.

Future issues and initiatives
Providing services in advanced academic fields such as graduate schools
and developing support staff.

Providing follow-up services for the students who use pubic services fordaily-living assistants.

Collecting various accessibility equipment and technology informationand promoting the usage of such tools.

Providing support for international students with disabilities and for SWDs
who want to study abroad.