School for the Deaf in Kagawa Prefecture opens a support center for parents with Deaf children

May 16, 2013

The Kagawa Prefecture School for the Deaf located in Takamatsu-shi, Kagawa Prefecture, a part of western Japan, is the only school that offers Deaf education in the prefecture. It recently established the support center on campus for the Deaf/deaf children and their parents in the area.

The school set up the consultation space about ten years ago and has been involved in consultation services to support guardians and Deaf/deaf children aged from preschool through junior high school in the prefecture.

Since needs were growing more in diversity, such as consultation about Deaf/deaf infants that increases in recent years, the school determined strengthening of the consultation services.

Teachers who is also qualified as a speech therapist advise on how to use a hearing-aid or a cochlea besides pronunciation instruction, etc.

Exchange events, such as a camp and a pounding-steamed-rice event, will be also held. The school will not only make concrete proposal about teaching materials, etc. to the teacher who takes charge of hard of hearing children, but also hold the study session in the center periodically.


Japanese source:
http://www.shikoku-np.co.jp/kagawa_news/education/20130516000166

Deaf woman appointed as new principal of private school for the Deaf in Tokyo

Kaya Yoko becomes the principal of the Meisei Gakuen School in April.
(photo: http://www.asahi.com/)

May 14, 2013

The Deaf woman, Kaya* Yoko* (榧 陽子), 45, was appointed to be the principal of the "Meisei Gakuen" School located in Tokyo in April. The school for the Deaf is the first private school in the whole country that teaches Deaf children and students by sign language as their first language.

Kaya, born Deaf, received the lesson by the "oral method" in her school days as sign language was forbidden then because it would hinder Japanese language acquisition that many schools believed.

But, the oral method didn't help her understand any spoken communication. Kaya remembers saying, "I behaved as if I understood what the teacher said in many cases, which was much stress on me."

After she studied mathematics in the University of Tsukuba, she went to the graduate school, where she majored in overseas deaf education as she wanted sign language to be used in a school for the Deaf in the future.

Kaya had an opportunity to visit the U.S. to observe Deaf education, and saw the Deaf students using sign language at school with her own eyes.

She started the free school with friends to spread the "bilingual deaf education" which Japanese sign language is the first language and Japanese as the 2nd language for reading and writing. Later she also exerted herself for birth of the "Meisei Gakuen" School in 2008, making herself a vice-principal.

Currently, 58 children and students from preschool through junior high school are attending. One of them even commutes from Shizuoka Prefecture by a bullet train, "Shinkansen."

Kaya says, "If Japanese sign language is used, the Deaf children can support deep thinking and will lead also to self-confidence. I would like to value the dream and hope of every child and to bring up them in order to survive with confidence."


Japanese source:
http://www.asahi.com/edu/articles/TKY201305130400.html

*Note:
The Japanese name is usually in order: one's last name comes first, and then the first name comes next.

Related link:

Deaf woman becomes principal of school for the Deaf in Tokyo
http://deafjapan.blogspot.jp/2013/04/deaf-woman-becomes-principal-of-school.html

Cities and towns mandated for training sign-language talented people in Ehime Prefecture

Training of the sign language interpreter is an urgent issue. Three years and a half are needed for learning minimum technique as a sign language interpreter.
[photo: http://www.ehime-np.co.jp/]

May 16, 2013

The support by sign-language related resource are made by three kinds of qualified sign language interpreters: those who passed the examination of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, those who passed the national unified examination after having completed the training program by the prefecture, and the sign language volunteers trained by cities and towns.

The comprehensive support law for persons with disabilities enforced in April, 2013 requires every city and town to train a service staff including a sign language interpreter.

In Ehime Prefecture in western Japan, nine cities except Iyo-shi have been carrying out the training program for some time. Eleven cities and towns have started training, too, in April, 2013.

Ehime Prefecture will hold a national disability sports in four years ahead, and talented people reservation is pressing need.

However, there are likely some areas that don't get any training applicants, and it seem to be difficult.


Japanese source:
http://www.ehime-np.co.jp/news/local/20130516/news20130516207.html

Apartment house for the visual and hearing impaired to start construction work in Hakodate, Hokkaido

 May 15, 2013

The non-profit organization in Hakodate which builds a universal home (NPO法人ユニバーサルホーム函館をつくる会) will start building the apartment house for vision and hearing-impaired persons in Hakodate-shi, Hokkaido in Japan's northern island, in June, 2013.

The residence named "Hakodate House Hiyoshi" will have a full-time staff fluent in sign language who supports a tenant for 24 hours.

The Japan Federation of The Blind located in Tokyo says,"This residence is not a welfare facility but general rental housing.  That example which provides such service may be the first in the whole country."

A residence will be a 3-story concrete structure, with the gross floor space of 1300 square meters, five spaces with two rooms and kitchen, 32 one-open rooms, a dining-room, etc.

According to the organization's official web page (Japanese), the construction will be completed in fall, 2013


英文記事：
http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp/news/topic/465800.html

Former Tateyama School for the Deaf to establish alumni association

Alumni members work towards alumni association establishment
[photo: http://www.bonichi.com/]

May 13, 2013

The alumni group of the Tateyama School for the Deaf in Chiba Prefecture is advancing alumni association establishment.

About 50 alumni members, former teachers and staff will gather on May 18 at an organization meeting in the hotel in Tateyama-shi to launch an alumni association.

The Tateyama School for the Deaf was established as a branch school of the prefecture Chiba School for the Deaf, and became independent after that in 1958.

However, since the number of students has decreased, the Chiba board of education set forth the plan to unify the school for the Deaf to the Awa Special Support School for students with disabilities in the prefecture.

The school for the Deaf was unified to the Awa School in April, 2010. In response to the Deaf alumni's request, the school building was named the "Tateyama Classroom for the Deaf" then. It was renamed to the "Tateyama Branch School for the Deaf" in April, 2013.

In integration with the special support school, the Deaf alumni felt it was necessary to spread information and an exchange place, working towards establishment of an alumni association.


英文記事：
http://www.bonichi.com/News/item.htm?iid=7875&TXSID=h0jn3unrjnukdp734qatef7d57