On some aspects ofhigher education for the people with disabilities: an example of Japan
S. S. Kolyshkina
Novosibirsk State Technical University, Pr. Karla Marksa, 20, Novosibirsk, Russia
Keywords: pedagogy, inclusive education, higher education in Japan
Abstract
Japan is one of the leading countries in the field of implementation of inclusive education at all stages of education, from primary school to higher education and secondary special education. In the field of education for people with disabilities, Japan in a short time has gone from discrimination of the disabled people and their complete elimination from the life of the community to creation of the most favorable conditions of life for them. One of the major impulses in this direction was given to Japan by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, after joining of which there began in Japan to develop legislation to create a barrier-free environment, an inclusive education system at all stages, special programs of support and patronage. To coordinate the dissemination of inclusive education, Japan createdthe National Disability Center, Japanese student supportCenter etc. At the moment, we can talk about the undoubted success achieved in the field of higher education for the people with disabilities in Japan. The process of integrating the disabled into society, including access to education in Japan is conducted in two ways: elimination of the «environmental» barriers and elimination of the «attitude-related» barriers. «Environmental» barriers are eliminated in the process of reconstruction of the existing infrastructure of universities because of the new architectural requirements of «barrier-free environment» and through the development of individual trajectories of students with limited mobility on the territory of the university. The «attitude-related» barriers can be overcome with the help ofvolunteer programs within the higher education institutions which help students with disabilities (the volunteers having special preliminary training), as well as municipal and state programs of socialization of the disabled. Japanese experience can be useful to develop ways to improve the social potential of Higher Education of the Russian Federation.
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