22 October 1997 (Wed)
Rehabilitation of the Deaf
History and Movement of Organization of the Deaf
In Japan
by
Mr. Shozaburo TAKESHIMA, Director
Japanese Athletic Association of the Deaf
In Japan, education of the deaf began in 1978 in Kyoto.
Since then, schools for the deaf have flourished throughout the nation, under the leadership of the alumnus of those founded schools. The deaf finally organized themselves and started their movement.
However, before World War II, the deaf in Japan had long been suffering from discrimination and prejudice in which they were socially alienated. Moreover, they did not recognize the need to organize the movement themselves.
In 1946, just after World War II, the new Constitution was promulgated, the fundamental human rights of all people were restored, and freedom of assembly and association was established.
Japan's new democratic system in 1949 led to the enactment of the Law for the Welfare of Physically Disabled Persons and the deaf came to realize that they toohad the equal rights to life in a society.
In 1947, the Japanese Federation of the Deaf was established as the organization where deaf people could make efforts to improve their welfare.
In 1950, the Federation made a resolution to conduct two kinds of campaigns; one was to promote the needs for and use of sub-titles and sign language interpreters on TV programs and the other campaign was to ask that rehabilitation counselors in welfare offices to understand sign language.
Petitions were submitted to the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation as well as to the Japanese government. Those demands came from the deaf themselves who could not enjoy TV programs such as drama or music because of their hearing disability.
Also, despite of the fact that the Law for the Welfare of Physically Disabled Persons had realized the establishment of welfare offices in each Prefecture, rehabilitation counselors who were or are employed there often failed to communicate with people with deaf clients, because they could not understand the sign language. That made it difficult for the deaf to get adequate consultation, or in the worse case, none at all.
The response to these petitions was negative. The Japanese Broadcasting Corporation insisted that the adoption of both sub-titles and sign language interpreters were technically difficult and that the scope of sign language was too small to convey information accurately.
Also, the Japanese government maintained that it was difficult to place rehabilitation counselors who could use sign language in welfare offices, because the Ministry of Education did not recognize sign language as an official language in educational settings.
Because deaf persons say they have the equal rights tolife, they have rights of access to the same public information, and to enjoy all aspects of social cultural life. Repeated petitions to the government by the Japanese Federation of the Deaf, supported and assisted by the National Federation of Organizations for Disabled Persons finally moved the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation. The first access to TV for the deaf started in 1976 with a trial of sub-titles and sign language interpreters in selected TV programs.
Today, the deaf have the privilege to enjoying not only special assigned programs, but also other public networks including news and drama with sign language interpreters.
With the expansion of demand for sign language interpretation, educational programs in sign language wre initiated. As a result the government launched a training program for volunteer sign language interpreters in 1970 which made it possible to carry out sign language education courses in all of Japan. As people become aware of the importance of sign language, the number of volunteer interpreters increases.
In 1989, thesign language interpreters' qualification test was conducted for the first time by Ministry of Health and Welfare, and at last sign language interpreters were officially admitted.
Together with this project, the structure of Japanese sign language is now being re-evaluated to find a new and better system so that the deaf can enjoy a cultural life rich in information, thereby attaining independence and contributing to society.
Those with hearing and speech impairments, visual culture and information are indispensable in order to lead a full and active social life.
In 1991, in the last stage of the International Decade of Disabled Persons, the World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf was held in Tokyo for the first time in the Asia/Pacific region.
Furthermore, the 11th World Congress of the World Federation of the Deaf was held in Tokyo, Japan in July 1991, as the first World wide gathering of the deaf in the in the region of Asia and the Pacific. The Congress attracted a large number of deaf participants from over the world, who confirmed the solidarity among themselves and enhanced fellowships. In 1997, the Japanese Federation of the Deaf celebrated their golden anniversary of its founding. An opportunity to establish a fund called "The Asian Deaf Fellowship Fund was progressed. The fund aims to provide for development of activities to assist national organizations and to promote education of deaf children in the region, as well as enhancement of fellowships.
All of us hope to see as many of you as possible in Tokyo. We are looking forward to having fruitful discussions there with you.
From "Resource Book of Training Course for Leaders of Persons with Disabilities 1997"
Japanese Society for Rehabilitation of Disabled Persons